Stay By My Side!
by FioreRemi
Summary: Im Lan Mei, an "ordinary" high school girl living with her "ordinary" siblings in Japan, attends W. Academy. After a certain day, the idea of being "ordinary" becomes an unmistakable lie and her life gets unbearably twisted. With her new friends and enemies, Lan Mei's normal high school life becomes a love and action story that is wrapped around unbelievable past stories and drama.
1. Chapter 1

[The World Academy or W. Academy for short… This school is located in Marunouchi Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; which is a commercial district of Tokyo located in Chiyoda between Tokyo Station and the imperial Palace. Therefore, many of the students here are from rich families that manage big enterprises. Though, just as the name states this school is home to an array of students from all over the world. Whether we come from a well-known family isn't really important. Every student has a unique quality, culture and views to share. Many students use their talents for good, others for bad and some who haven't discovered them yet. I am one of those people. My name is Im Lan Mei. I'm a simple South Korean high school student with no definite talents at W. Academy. And currently... I'm chasing down this person who I don't really associate with often. Well consider this as a short intro to my story because this is where it all begins…]

"On a cold November Friday, the South Korean girl held a scowl as she panted and huffed. She did not give up her chase despite her obvious chances at failing in her quest. "G-Give it back! Give it back now da-ze!" She called after the male in front of her. He began to laugh an annoying snicker as he continued his escape, "Kesesesese~ just give up, Can't you see that you can't catch up to my awesome speed~! Give up little girl, just leave and cry to your stupid brother Kesese~!"

Lan Mei clenched her fist feeling the urge to punch the thief right now. What fueled her anger even more was that no one tried to help her despite it being obvious that he stole from her. 'Aigoo… you can't rely on anyone at this school…'Just as her anger boiled she saw him turn a corner and he headed for the stairs. He smirked as he ran down quickly without getting hurt. As for the South Korean… she was so out of breath and her focus wasn't precise; she couldn't help but collide with another student that was heading up the steps with heavy items in his hands. A shatter was heard followed by the sound of papers and books scattering everywhere. "Kesesese~ suck it losers, I'm out!" Lan Mei clenched her head in pain at the collision. However, the South Korean teen found it strange that she wasn't as badly hurt as she expected to be. "A-Aiya…p-please get off me, aru." She looked down and blushed seeing that she was on top of a Chinese boy with long hair tied in a ponytail. He wore the classic male uniform that was mandatory for all students; though his style showed individuality. Lan Mei seemed to be lost in a daze as she remained in his arms; though the feeling of uneasiness was evident in her chest. What made things even more uncomfortable was that he held a protective arm around her waist. This made her think the boy was foolish for saying such words despite touching her in such a way; it was a complete contradiction between the two since he obviously seemed to not be letting go himself. She blushed extremely and distanced herself.

"E-Excuse me but—," She frantically bowed low and started running "I-I'm sorry… B-but I'll be sure to pay for it, j-just wait for me, da-ze!" She was so flustered with what just happened. The Chinese boy sighed as his face turned a light pink; equally feeling flustered by the situation from before. He started to pick up the books and papers that were scattered all around. "Aiya, I just hope you can pay for it, aru."

Meanwhile, the South Korean started running in the direction of the thief. She was thankful that some of the students had told her which direction he ran off to and slowly she caught onto his trail. "Just give it back da-ze!" She called out. The Eastern German didn't give up, "No freakin' way, I can make good money if I sell this online!"

"But it's my mother's—!"

"Like hell I care!" He began to increase his speed and she continued to follow him persistently. She was so close to the point where she almost caught hold of his hood. She grew tired however. Suddenly, the South Korean teen felt a strange sensation in mid run for a moment. As if a strong electric current suddenly reacted inside her. With a simple blink; in a flash she found that the thief was gone. "W-What…?" She fell to her knees, "What…I… but he was just here…wasn't he?" Lan Mei started to tear up; being the crybaby she usually was, "My mother's hair pin… w-why did he…"

"I'll make good money if I sell this online! The words echoed in her head and she began to cry. "Damn jerk! W-why me?! Why did it have to be my precious object that gets stolen...?"

* * *

The albino stared in shock at what just happened. "T-That brat just vanished…! S-She was totally close to getting me and then she vanished." He smirked, "Am I awesome or what!" He did a small victory fist pump as he tightly held onto the valuable objects. Right now he felt invincible; he thought that he could do this again with any person that came his way. Slowly his red eyes met with his next victim. In the far distance, a Russian male wearing a long white scarf over his school uniform stood tall with a blank smile as he talked on his phone. His hair was a creamy beige and his eyes were a mysterious shade of violet. The Eastern German smirked, "Kesesese~, this is too easy~!" he exclaimed in a whisper. He waited patiently before dashing towards the Russian and aiming for his pocket. 'Your money is mine—,' in a quick movement the Russian moved aside and grabbed the thief's hand, and tightly pinned him down in a strong hold. He hung up the phone and placed it in his pocket as he kept his focus entirely on the teen that attacked him. The Russian twisted his arm slightly. "H-H-Hey, that hurts!" the albino whined and the Russian began to chuckle.

"Ufufu~, it's rude to interrupt someone when they are on the phone, da? But usually I let something small as that slide. However…," he trailed off as he held a sweet but deadly smirk. His violet eyes glancing at the object in his hand, "What's this? It's strange for a guy to have a girly item as this." He stared at the beautifully made hairpin. It was gold and held black and white gems in two gold leaves and a single strand of gold and black beads hung down the bottom leaf while another strand of white and gold beads hung down the top leaf. It looked very pricey…" He looked at the Eastern German with a mock of disappointment, "How mischievous of you. You steal this, da?"

The albino was quiet which annoyed the Russian so he tightened his grip. Again, he spoke with a sweet but threatening tone, "I asked if you stole it. Don't make me repeat myself again, or else…"

The Eastern German held a terrified expression as he panicked under his hold, "Y-Yeah, I-I stole it! J-just let me go! I-I'm sorry I won't steal anymore just let me go—!"

The Russian rolled his eyes at the silly pleas he was hearing. Yet his attention was captured by the sound of a female calling out in the distance, "A-Aigoo…You jerk! W-Where are you, da-ze?! G-Give me back my precious object! I'll pay you anything, j-just please…!" She sounded desperate which made the thief chuckle slightly, yet the Russian silenced him with a single glance. "A wide smile plastered onto his face, it gave off no emotion, "how convenient." He pulled the feminine object out of his hand and dragged the albino along. "Privet~," he began his greeting with a false smile that showed no emotion whatsoever. "I couldn't help but hear that you lost something, da? Is this it?" He showed her the hairpin and immediately her eyes sparkled in happiness and relief, "M-My mother's hairpin…! T-Thank you!" Hearing such words from her made him eye the girl with interested violet eyes. The Russian weakly chuckled and handed it to her, he then turned to the albino who was still in his hold. "Apologize to her, now. Quickly, act as if your life depended on it." His voice held a threatening sound despite the sweet tone it took at the beginning. Such a tone succeeded in scaring the albino to follow his demands. The albino got on his feet and bowed lowly repeatedly saying sorry to Lan Mei who looked over in slight shock at the display.  
When the Russian felt that he learned his lesson he told him to get lost. In a few seconds the Prussian began running the opposite direction. "Ufufu~, remember not to steal from others~!" He called out after him with a wave. Lan Mei allowed a giggle escape her lips as she wiped her tears away, "T-Thank you, I'm truly appreciative for your kindness." The Russian stood slightly shocked by her words as he held a false smile, "Da, it was nothing…" She kept a small smile of her own as she stared at her pin with content in her chocolate brown eyes. In her fixation, the male standing across from her couldn't help but wonder something while observing her. "Why not wear it? That way it won't get lost or stolen, da?" Lan Mei was hesitant as she sadly looked towards the hairpin, "But…it doesn't really suit me, da-ze. The pin should be worn by someone who has equal beauty." "Then that makes it even more reasonable for you wear it," he easily said. The South Korean blushed at the stranger's compliment, "What are—?" "Wear it. I'm sure that it suits you well~." She stared for several seconds before smiling sheepishly in response to his encouraging words. "D-Dae, I'll do that. Thank you…," she trailed off seeing as though she forgot to ask him a very important question. "H-how rude of me…you helped me get my pin back and I don't even know your name…," she muttered; feeling disappointment at her actions. "My name is Ivan Braginski… Just Ivan is "Thank you, Ivan," Lan Mei bowed. She stiffened when she remembered a very important detail. "Aigoo, that guy I bumped into earlier!" She began to run but was stopped when Ivan suddenly grabbed her hand. "Before you leave, can you tell me your name?" Again, she was dejected by her rudeness for forgetting such basic social skills, "M-My name is Im Lan Mei. But you call me Lan Mei or Lan." Ivan let the girl slip away as he kept a small smile; he watched her disappear in a rush and sighed, "Lan Mei..." He began to walk away finding himself with a genuine smile unlike his usual false one, "such a strange girl."

* * *

"I-I'm so sorry!" The South Korean repeatedly bowed her head towards the Chinese teen and he chuckled weakly. "Aiya, its fine..." "There's no need to apologize so formally, aru..." Lan Mei still held a look of guilt as she raised her head and looked over to the janitor who was still cleaning up. She focused her attention back on the teen, "S-So…how much do I have to pay da-ze…?" The Chinese teen held a look of pity as he muttered the total. However, it was inaudible for her to hear. "E-Eh…? How much did you say, da-ze…?" "You have to pay me 35,974.40 ¥ (352 U.S dollars)…," the South Korean paled as if the words literally stabbed her repeatedly. She leaned on the railing weakly as she dug through her pockets and pulled out her wallet. "I-I only have 989.30¥ (9.68 U.S dollars)!" He sighed as he looked to the side with a pout, "You shouldn't have collided with me then, aru…" "I-It wasn't my fault da-ze! W-Why would you carry a priceless antique up the stairs? Why not use the elevator or something?!" The teen crossed his arms as he stared down at the Lan Mei, "Aiya, did you forget? The elevator is for teachers and disabled students only, aru. …How do you expect to fix this then? You can't honestly expect me to let you go, aru." Lan Mei stood silent looking down on the floor, "I'll pay you back, da-ze. Just not all in one shot…" She held a small smile as she took his arm and placed her 989.30¥ in the palm of his hand. "I'll be sure to pay you each week da-ze. Is that fine…?" The boy looked at her with a pink face as he shyly took his hand away from hers. Her touch was gentle and her hand was small; evidence of hard work was shown on her palm. "…O-okay, aru. J-just don't forget," He took out a sketchbook and a lead pencil from his bag and began to write down words and numbers in Japanese characters. "What's your name aru?" Lan Mei held a smile as she replied rather shyly, "My name is Im Lan Mei… and your name da-ze?" "Wang Yao." Yao stated with a small smile as he finished scribbling down the words. "Now that I have your name I can ask around for you, aru." He paused for a moment, "I guess each Friday will be when you have to pay me, aru. …Or do you want to randomly pay me?" "I-I don't know if I can pay you every Friday, da-ze… So any day will be fine." Yao sighed, "Do you have a club that you're a part of, aru? It will be easier to locate you then." The South Korean girl held a false smile as she suppressed her impatience for the conversation. 'Is he going to track me down until I pay up all the money…? H-how troublesome…' "Y-you see…I recently transferred here so…" "Yao held a lifeless face, as he silently stared at her. She nervously looked away, "I'm sorry… I-I'll be leaving da-ze…," she walked away and he followed her silently. "D-Dae…?" He raised a hand to his face, "Aiya, are you serious? You just transferred here and already you got caught up in a chase with another student, aru? How troublesome can you be?" She sighed taking some offence to his choice of words, her tone slightly turned cold, "I-I'm truly sorry, da-ze. I told you I'm going to pay you back so it's fine, right? So please let me leave for the day so I can think about this more clearly… stop making me feel worst da-ze." He hesitantly nodded as he muttered an apology for being rude. "…I'll leave you alone then, until Monday, aru." Lan Mei nodded tiredly and walked away from Yao. The Chinese teen's face increased in color as he stuffed the money into his wallet; remembering her touch. In his nervousness he looked over to his watch, 'H-How annoying…I'll be late for work aru...!' He quickly walked out of the building towards the bike racks and got on his red bicycle. It seemed to be well maintained. As he pedaled he quickly spotted a tall South Korean male waiting with a bike. He called out to Yao causing the Chinese teen to halt in his tracks. "Do you know if a girl named Lan Mei left? I'm her brother, and I'm here to meet with her." Yao got off his bicycle at the mention of Lan Mei. "You're her brother…?" Yong Soo nodded with a goofy smirk, "I'm Im Yong Soo. Hmm, aren't we in the same homeroom class da-ze…? Your name it's…oh yeah, Wang Yao~!" Yao nodded slightly confused by this, "…You said that you were in the same homeroom as me, aru. So you were in W. academy for a long time, right…?" "Well, duh~ so is Lan Mei. All of us are in the same homeroom, da-ze. We just haven't talked." Yao stood motionless as he clenched his fist in anger. He could have sworn he felt some anger veins pop. Yao forced a smile and quickly took out his sketchbook and lead pencil, "Can you tell me what clubs she has after school, aru~? I would like to see her again next time, aru." Yong Soo held a goofy grin, "Aigoo, are you friends with my little hwa (flower)~?" Yao smirked, "Yes, Lan Mei and I are good friends aru~." The South quickly told him and Yao waved goodbye as he rushed to his job.

* * *

Omake:

Ivan held an uninterested expression as he looked over the paper given to him by his little sister, Natalia. "Brother, good luck on the mission. After can we get-" He nodded nervously and pushed her out of the room locking the door behind. He sighed in relief and fell back on his bed. He still wore his school uniform since he just got back home after a long day of constantly being avoided by others like always. He held a small smile at the memory of Lan Mei. 'She was so kind to me…' Immediately a knock was heard which made Ivan release an irritated sigh, "Natalia, I still haven't gotten dress. Please wait…" Natalia responded by scratching at the door like always and the Russian teen paled, 'I hope I don't have to waste money on another door. I shouldn't be wasting money on unimportant things and this is the 6th one this month." Ivan walked towards the bathroom and began to strip from his attire. He turned the water on and took a quick shower. When he was done he quickly grabbed a towel and dried himself completely. Ivan then dressed himself; Black pants, a plain white buttoned blouse. The Russian teen also wore a black blazer jacket and his usual white scarf. Honestly, everyone (his comrades and family) found it strange for him to wear a long white scarf when he was heading to do another dangerous mission. But the Russian insisted he wear it at all times; it was a present by his older sister after all. He suddenly heard movement from the other end of the room. He ignored it as he began supplying himself with weapons. A sword sheathed on his side. A rifle gun strapped to his back and small revolver just in case. "I'm heading out. See you when I get back, da?" "Of course, good luck, Ivan-shi." Ivan smiled indifferently at his roommate who had manged to sneak in as usual. "Don't let Natalia in, Hyun Soo." The North Korean rolled his eyes, "Dae…" With that said Ivan opened the window of his bedroom and climbed out. Hyun Soo sighed as he rested on his bed; he looked over to the door when he heard a knock and soon after a paper slipped under. He raised a brow as an amused smirk played on his face. "Now what could this be…," He walked over and inspected the mail. "Another mission for Ivan…? I'll give it to him when he comes back." He fell back on the bed and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Ivan sighed in irritation as he positioned himself on the roof. It was clear and empty which left him to freely do his work. "All I have to do is kill this guy and then…""He promptly took aim noting that no one guarded or surrounded the target, 'This is too easy.' Before pulling the trigger Ivan took all factors of distance into account. In an instant the Russian pulled the trigger and watched bored by the chaos that took place as a result. "This was too easy…" He sighed and got up. Looking around he heard the sound of footsteps and immediately he moved swiftly to the side whilst unsheathing his sword and blocking off a surprise attack. Ivan took a close look at his opponent with his alert violent eyes. The stranger was a Cantonese teen; he was stoic in personality and held a sharp presence that could be hidden easily in a flash. The Russia chuckled, "Ufufu~ I'm glad. I thought it was going to be boring. How long will you last~?" The Cantonese bluntly replied, "You're an idiot. The reason why it was so easy…" He charged sending punches and kicks as he slashed his twin pair of Chinese swords. "It was because we purposely leaked the information. We wanted you to kill him." The Russian kept his smirk as he blocked each attack easily. "Ufufu~ Oh really~ very interesting…" Ivan pushed him back and sighed. He charged with his sword slashing at him. The Cantonese boy dodged quickly and Ivan pulled out his gun and aimed at him. "spokoynoy nochi (good night)~" The gunfire echoed and Ivan held a smile as he walked away "I think you get my point. Next time I won't be so kind, especially to a fellow classmate. Tell your boss that if he wanted me to kill him he should have offered me money to do so." Ivan turned back with a spine-chilling smile. "After all, assassins exist to kill for money, da?" He disappeared leaving the Cantonese to attend to the wound in his shoulder. He cracked a small smirk, "What a joke, he says that yet he doesn't believe such words himself." He rose up while applying pressure to his wound, "It's about to begin…"

* * *

The Russian sighed as he collapsed in bed. "I'm so tired…" he muttered. The North Korean smirked as he handed him the note from before, "Aigoo, Ivan… after you left this arrived from underneath the door. I think it's another job…" Ivan grumbled in irritation, "How much does it pay." "A lot…," Hyun Soo voiced in a believable tone. The Russian perked up and took the letter out of his hands. He read the words and looked over to Hyun Soo with amusement in his eyes. "I definitely look forward to this job." Hyun Soo only stared in confusion as he decided to go back to sleep.

* * *

 **AN: Hi, this is Fiore~! I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers nor the characters here. I only own Im Lan Mei, the protagonist of this story and the possibility of other Ocs in later chapters or so. I don't own Hyun Soo, Lo-wah does. But his personality in this fanfic most likely differs from Lo-wah ^^;. Also, sorry for using Prussia as the "villain" here. I actually really like Prussia. So sorry if anyone hates me for that. Anyway, thanks for reading. Favs, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated, until next time~!**


	2. Chapter 2

At the sound of the alarm clock Lan Mei quickly got up. The clock read 8:30 am. 'And so my routine starts here…' She sleepily thought as she entered the bathroom. Despite getting home at a decent time she still had trouble sleeping and such.

Reasons to this mostly revolved around Yao and Ivan, two boys she had met yesterday. She stared at the hairpin with a flushed face, 'This is your fault…' By her actions it was clear that she was going insane due to yesterday's events.

"Lan… stop glaring at your hairpin and get ready or we will be late for the first day," a voice spoke from the other side of the room. Lan Mei looked up to meet eyes with her best friend and roommate, Mei. Mei was a cheerful and sisterly individual with brown curly hair and matching honey brown eyes. Quickly Lan Mei got up, "D-Dae," she ran to the bath and the Taiwanese girl sighed. "Don't forget, formal attitude and clothing~."

"Dae, you can count on me, da-ze~."

Mei smiled as she sat down on her sleeping bag. She looked over to her phone which started to ring in her palms. Mei sighed in annoyance at the unknown number, "What now…?"

She picked it up and immediately she heard her elder brother speak. "Gege…I thought you didn't have a phone."

 **I'm borrowing a friend's, aru. Anyway, I heard from Kiku that you applied at my job not too long ago with a friend and got one. I'm looking forward to working with my little sister aru~** the elder lovingly teased.

Mei sighed as she rolled her eyes, "Yeah, Yeah. Anyway I have to go. My friend and I need to get ready."

 **Aiya, you're so rude Meimei~. Zài jiàn (goodbye) aru.** The phone was hung up and in an instant Lan Mei walked out of the bathroom dressed formally. She wore skin toned tights, a black skirt that was not too short or too long. A white buttoned blouse and black ribbon tied in a bow. Along with that she wore a black vest and some low black boots with a low heel. Her Korean-curly hair was tied in a long low ponytail. Mei smiled as she looked at her friend with a smile. "Wow, Lan Mei…I won't be surprised if all the male workers fall in love with you~."

Lan Mei blushed at her friend's comment. "T-Thank you…"

Mei chuckled and looked over to the hairpin left on the nightstand next to Lan Mei's bed. "You're just missing one thing…"

Mei picked up the hairpin and untied the simple black hair tie in Lan Mei's hair. She then picked up Lan Mei's brown silky hair and tied it in a bun with the hair pin. "Now you look perfect. Your mother will be proud, Lan. You look so pretty and you're all grown up."

Lan Mei held a smile as she giggled at her friend's words, "Aigoo…Mei your words are too kind. But…shouldn't you get ready too…"

Mei realized her mistake and panicked, "Uwahh! I'll be late!" She quickly went to get ready. Lan Mei sighed and looked over herself in the mirror. She noticed the hairpin in her hair and blushed extremely when remembering Ivan. 'N-Now is not the time to remember that guy…'

Mei soon came out with a similar attire to Lan Mei. After all, the job required all workers to wear white and black. "As expected of a Japanese style café… We will all look like those cute maids and butlers you see in manga~," Mei stated as she finished her makeup. Lan Mei watched closely intrigued by Mei's transformation with each step. "Wow, you're so pretty, da-ze."

Mei chuckled, "If you want I can teach you later." Lan Mei held a smile, "That would be nice. Thanks, Mei."

The two girls grabbed their bags and headed out of the house with confident smiles on their faces.

Lan Mei didn't know she would find herself in "Hell" soon enough.

* * *

Lan Mei couldn't believe her eyes when looking at the person she saw standing right before her. 'Why of all places…' Yao held a small smirk as he stared down at her. He was dressed in black pants and shoes, a buttoned blouse and a black tie. She blushed slightly at the awkward atmosphere forming between them and looked away trying to listen to the manager as he spoke about their task and what he expected from them. Yet Yao's gaze remained on her increasing the uncomfortable feeling in her stomach.

Again Lan Mei flushed extremely than before as she felt nervous at this fact. 'Why is he focusing so much on me…,' she started to fidget with her fingers. However, Yao kept muttering words in a sarcastic tone like, "I'll look forward to working with you aru," and so on which completely pushed her nervous feelings aside. She was starting to get tired and annoyed by Yao's sarcastic remarks and not too long after the talking finally stopped. "You are all dismissed," Lan Mei paled, because of Yao she wasn't able to listen to the manager clearly. She turned to Mei and asked what he said. Mei held a small smile, "He was just properly greeting us as he explained the basics. He also said that since it's a Saturday not many customers will probably show up so we're free to rest and so on…"

'Wow… what a great job I found.'

Lan Mei nodded slowly and turned to Yao who stood next to her with a smirk. "What a coincidence Lan Mei, I never imagined you would be the friend my sister talked about aru."

"…Sister?" She turned to Mei who held a scowl, "This idiot is my brother…" Yao rolled his eyes, "Aiyaaa, Mei stop being rude aru." Mei sighed and forced a smile as she talked in a cheerful voice, "This is my idiot brother-."

"You just changed your tone and face expression aru!" Lan Mei giggled at the scene and immediately Yao turned slightly red. "W-Well…anyway welcome to the job aru. Make sure to pay me back so I don't have to bother you~!" Lan Mei bowed playfully with a smile, "Dae, whatever you say Seonbae (senpai)~" Yao held a smile as he patted her head gently; he felt prideful to being called "Seonbae".

Just like the manager said, since it was Saturday the shop had little customers come in so the workers had some time to relax and talk with one another as they cleaned tables and maintained the store. Lan Mei looked around feeling glad she got this job. Yao looked over to the Korean girl as she observed the café with content in her eyes. The events that happened yesterday still bothered him, "Lan, want to talk aru?"

Lan Mei turned with a small smile; surprisingly not feeling annoyed by him anymore. "Sure."

They sat across from each other and Lan Mei stared calmly, "…What do you want to talk about da-ze?"

"Anything, I guess aru," he held a flushed face as he puffed his cheeks, 'Aiya…how do I start. I want to know if she was lying but I don't want to annoy her too much…'

"…So you and Mei are friends aru?" he decided to start the conversation like this. Lan Mei nodded immediately taking a cheerful tone, "Mei is my best friend. Though she does treats me like a little sister she has to take care of da-ze… I'm glad to have met her."

Yao smiled, casting his thoughts from before, "That's nice to hear." The two began to talk and soon enough they were smiling and laughing together. Yao spoke of many things concerning art and Lan Mei held a smile as she shared her interests too. Yao learned that she was a gamer and was interested in anime and manga. She drew as well but it was just a hobby. Yao felt that they were becoming friends as they spoke and Lan Mei felt the same. Their time together ended later on before he could sum up the courage to ask if she was lying about yesterday.

The doors opened and in came several people. "This is the place right…?"

"Y-yeah it's the place, I'm sure of it aru." Lan Mei held a grin as she saw familiar faces, "Elizabeth, Wei Xiang, and Song Yi. I-It's nice to see you!" The trio of girls greeted the girl and took a seat; Yao got up from the table and stood at a small distance away observing Lan Mei and the group. He was curious and wanted to find answers to his doubts about the Korean girl.

Wei Xiang, a girl with reddish brown eyes and brown hair tied in a low ponytail sat next to Elizabeth, a girl with pretty emerald green eyes and blonde wavy hair. Song Yi, a girl with similar eye and hair color as Wei Xiang had long low pigtails reaching her waist with red hair ties acting as spacers. She sat across from them. Wei Xiang and Song Yi held smirks as they playfully teased their friend. "So you finally have a job aru~. You're so pro aru~!" Song Yi stated calmly. Lan Mei weakly chuckled as she handed them menus. "This is my first day though…" Elizabeth smiled reassuringly, "Even if it's the first day, I doubt you would get fired. You're dressed so nicely and you seem confident to keep the job too."

The Korean nervously laughed, "Depends if I don't break anything…" Wei Xiang rolled her eyes with a smirk, "Lan, if you stay focus that won't happen." Lan Mei nodded and asked what they wanted to order. "I'll have some Grey earl's tea and some scones." Elizabeth stated calmly; she emitted her usual elegant atmosphere. Song Yi muffled a giggle from her hands. "Liz is so predictable aru~."

"It's not "Liz", it's Elizabeth," her tone showed slight aggressiveness yet tried to maintain its elegance.

"Not again…" Lan Mei chuckled and looked over to Yao who had been staring at her, 'He's been staring at me for a long time…'

"Is something wrong?" Wei Xiang asked. Lan Mei smiled as she turned her attention back to her friends, "N-Nothing~ what will you have?"

"Song Yi and I will share some dim sum, Luckily this café surprisingly serves Asian cuisine too."

"Yay Dim sum aru~!" She giggled and rested her head on the table, "As expected everything is so assorted aru~." Lan Mei nodded, "Well, we sell pastries, tea (different types from all over the world…), coffee and such. Since Dim sum is often served with tea I guess it makes sense to have it…?" The group (mostly Song Yi and Elizabeth) held amazed faces. "Lan you're so pro aru!" Lan held a smile as she thanked her for the compliment and walked away with a giggle, she passed by Yao who simply smiled before grabbing the paper from her hand. "A-Aigoo, what are you-?"

"I'm the one who cooks here. Just leave it to me aru." He walked away with a smirk as he patted her head reassuringly. She held a pink face as she nodded weakly and went back to her friends to talk. "Lan Mei~ I heard from Yong Soo that you have a friend. He told me that this friend is a boy aru~." Lan Mei looked up with obvious confusion written all over on her face. "What….? When was this da-ze?"

"Yesterday~ He told me aru." Song Yi kept on babbling and Wei Xiang sighed as she kicked her under the table to stop. "Aiya, Jie Jie speak in your inside voice."

Elizabeth giggled as she texted on her phone. "Serves you right for calling me "Liz"…" The group continued to fool around until Lan Mei left when Yao called her. She came back to bring their orders to the table in a cart. "Grey earl's Tea and scones for Elizabeth." Elizabeth smiled politely, "Thank you."

"Okay~, Dim sum which is accompanied by tea…" One by one she pulled out each plate. "Okay…so here we have the Cha siu bao (cantonese barbecue pork filled bun…), the rice noodle roll, some steamed dumplings, the Congee (rice porridge), some Ha gow (traditional Chinese dumpling.), and finally some Jasmine tea to accompany it." The Chinese siblings held a smile as they thanked her for the food. Song Yi smirked knowing Lan Mei well and she pulled the girl down next to her. "Come eat with us aru~." Lan Mei however refused, "I'm working and it's your food da-ze! You should eat…"

Wei Xiang chuckled, "Lan, we ordered Dim Sum for a reason. Dim sum taste better when shared with others~."

Lan Mei held a pout, "But I'm working…"

"We'll give you a tip." Elizabeth stated bluntly. The trio stared intensely at the girl who remained silent. "You guys…," She ended up eating along with them when her stomach growled suddenly. "Aiyaaa…Lan Mei you didn't eat breakfast didn't you aru?"

"Such a hopeless girl~," Wei Xiang teased. "Eat as much as you want, Lan," Elizabeth giggled. Lan Mei however just ate small portions to satisfy her hunger she didn't want to eat her friends' food.

Soon enough the café was filled with more people and the other waiters found themselves busy. Shortly when everything was finished they began talking again. Song Yi brought back the conversation about the "mystery" boy.

"Okay, Okay so Yong Soo said when he was waiting for you he crossed paths with a guy in our class aru."

"In our class…?"

"Yes our class aru~."

Elizabeth sighed as she sipped her tea. "Please be more specific." Song Yi rolled her eyes and tugged on Wei Xiang's sleeve as she playfully spoke, "Shang~ control your friend she's being mean to me aru~."

Wei Xiang sighed as her elder sister spoke her nickname, "You're drunk go home Song Yi."

Elizabeth and Lan Mei laughed uncontrollably as they stared at Song Yi's hilarious expression. "Yahh A-Aigoo, i-it hurts to laugh da-ze!" Lan Mei began between laughs.

"O-Oh bloody h-hell..! You've done it now Wei Xiang…Y-you've killed us both…!" The Brit stated between giggles. All the while Wei Xiang held a smirk as she stared at her elder sister who held a red face. Song Yi repeatedly banged her head on the table in embarrassment. Only then did Wei Xiang state something else, "The table is dirty with food Jie Jie…"

She rose her head up quickly causing them to laugh some more. She pouted as she crossed her hands, "Wei Xiang, You're so mean aru…"

Wei Xiang stuck her tongue out, "You asked for it Jie Jie." She looked over to Lan Mei and sighed, "Besides, Lan Mei is working so I can't tease her as much as I usually do…"

"S-so I'm just a replacement aru?!" Wei Xiang nodded. Lan Mei held a giggle as tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She wiped them away and got up, "I should begin cleaning since you guys are done da-ze." She began to stack the plates as she placed it on the cart. The trio smiled already handing her some money. "Here, for eating with us." Lan Mei smiled and gave them a hug. They chuckled and called for the bill. Song Yi held a smirk as she told her that they will continue this conversation next time in class. They soon left leaving Lan Mei to clean. She walked towards the kitchen with the cart where she was greeted by a Vietnamese girl looking similar to Yao. Her name was Lien and she was extremely kind towards Lan Mei.

She took the dishes and began washing them. Lan Mei held a smile as she offered to help. But Lien told her it was fine.

"Lan Mei, it's alright. Go attend to the people outside." However, Lan Mei was a stubborn girl. "It's fine, the others are dealing with the customers da-ze. Though…" She looked around the kitchen seeing that there was only four other people besides Yao and Lien. She gave a slight bow, "Please allow me to help da-ze."

Lien sighed as a smile formed on her face. "Alright, just don't work too hard. It's your first day."

Lan Mei smiled confidently as she grabbed an apron and some gloves. She began washing dishes with Lien who started a small conversation with her. Apparently Lien was in the same history class and homeroom as Lan Mei. They never really talked until now yet Lien admitted to being shy. However, Lan Mei was surprised that she was more outgoing than Lien; which was unusual since Lan Mei was an extremely shy teen. As they spoke Yao overheard Lan Mei talk about school life. When Lien asked what clubs she was in she responded easily with a smile which made Yao boil up in anger. "Lan Mei, want to be friends?" Lan Mei smiled, "Dae, I'd love to."

Yao snickered slightly which brought both of the girl's attention. "Yao, what's wrong?"

Yao looked over to Lien with a reassuring smile as his voice slightly displayed anger, "Nothing I was just remembering something funny aru."

Lien nodded hesitantly and Lan Mei held a frown as she observed Yao. 'Yao is acting weird…could it be-.'

She paled in realization. 'I-I forgot…! I told him I recently transferred here yet my behavior is totally the opposite!'

Yao walked over, standing next to Lan Mei as he stacked more plates on her end.

He leaned close as he whispered next to her, "Did you figure it out aru?" The Korean girl nodded; a scowl displayed on her face. "I'm sorry, but you were so frustrating yesterday, da-ze. I had no choice to lie…"

"You had a choice, and you choose to lie to my face aru."

Lan Mei sighed, "Mianhae…"

"We'll talk later aru. We have to work."

Lan Mei sighed as she continued in her work silently. Lien sighed as she glared towards her Chinese friend, "Yao…aren't you being a bit harsh?" He ignored her anger as he continued to cook. He was too busy letting his short temper run wild.

The atmosphere became awkward and quiet after.

* * *

After a long day at work it was time for the shop to close up. Kiku; the president of the Anime and Manga club and friend of Lan Mei and Yao came by to pick up his girlfriend, Mei. The Taiwanese girl held a slight blush as she waved goodbye to Lan Mei and Yao. Lan Mei held a sad smile as she just watched as they disappeared from her view. "It looks like I'm walking "home" alone…"

The Chinese teen looked over to her and told her to get on his bike. However, she refused and already started walking away. The teen sighed, "You're so stubborn aru…"

"And you're so cruel da-ze."

"A-Aiya? C-Cruel…? You're the cruel one; you lied to my face aru!"

"W-Well you kept telling me to pay, pay, pay da-ze! I got so frustrated with your tone da-ze!"

"If you didn't bump into me none of this would have happened aru! Why were you even running!?"

"Aigoo! You're such an idiot; I had no choice!"

The two continued to argue and soon enough Lan Mei just broke into a run. "Lan Mei-!"

She turned to show her angry face as tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

"Yao, for a moment of the day I actually thought we could've been friends! But it doesn't seem that way… don't worry I'll pay you back every cent so don't follow me!"

Yao was silent for a moment as he stared with an inflamed face, as loud as he could he screamed back at her, "I-Idiot, If only you didn't lie to me, I would've been your friend aru!"

She clenched her fist in anger as she began muttering under a scowl, "I-Idiot…next time catch the stupid antique not me da-ze!" She ran away leaving the Chinese teen in confusion as to what she said. He thought she was cursing him out so he became even more furious.

He peddled away on his bike despite his second thoughts of wanting to follow her. After all it was dark and the streets were empty which meant trouble.

* * *

 **AN: Hi, Fiore here again o3o~.** **I would like to remind everyone yet again that I do not own Hetalia Axis Powers nor the characters here. I only own Im Lan Mei, the protagonist of this story, Wang Song Yi (Beijing) and other Ocs that will be mentioned in future chapters. As for Wang Wei Xiang(Shanghai), Remi owns her. Elizabeth Jane Rose (London) is owned by my friend. You can find her page on Facebook if you search for Elizabeth Jane Kirkland. For now I would like to clear up some things about this chapter.**

 **1) In Japan high school students aren't permitted to work a part time job. But in my story, for I made it so that students have the option to work if they wanted to. They gain experience that way xD.**

 **2) As you can see Song Yi and Wei Xiang have the same last name as Yao and Mei. That doesn't mean that they are related. It just so happens that they share the same last name, coincidentally.**

 **3) I'm not fluent in the languages here. I use Google translate, so I apologize if it's not correct.**

 **4) I also apologize if any of the characters appear to be "out of character".**

 **5) Also, I'm really, really, really sorry if it's annoying that some of these characters talk with a repetitive use of "aru", "da-ze", "aiya", and/or "aigoo". It's just their verbal tic in Japanese. Seeing how this story takes place in Japan they talk like this.**

 **6) This has nothing to do with the story but I would like to thank those who have faved my story. It really means a lot ^^!**

 **That's pretty much it. T** **hanks for reading. Favs, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated, until next time~!**


	3. Chapter 3

Lan Mei held a scowl as she stopped her running. Yao was long gone now so she felt glad. The idea of Yao infuriated Lan Mei yet she wanted to think of him as a friend. She was friends with Mei for a while now. And since Yao was her brother she wanted to seek friendship in him too. 'He was nice when we were talking together….,' Lan Mei suddenly flushed a light pink when she remembered the words she said not too long ago. The memory of how they met played into mind.

"Aigoo…n-never mind. I-It's best to distance myself from him….," she began walking the quiet streets to the bus stop; she needed to get to her dorm quickly before curfew.

Suddenly she froze when she heard footsteps. Immediately she thought it was Yao but she was mistaken. There before her stood a man she had no relation to at all. More footsteps. She turned to face her back and saw a group of men with similar attire. 'A Gang…?'

The man who seemed to be the leader darkly cackled as he quickly grabbed her wrist before she could run away.

"A-Ani (No)! L-Let go da-ze!"

"You're not going anywhere, not until me and my friends have some fun with you."

Lan Mei struggled yet the man was far stronger than her. She tried stepping on his foot in hopes of escaping but all that did was annoy him. "Fine, after we're done. I'll personally kill you." She tried to scream for help; maybe if Yao was close he could help her..? She wished this yet her chances were close to zero. A strange rag was brought over her mouth, muffling her yell and soon her senses dulled. Everything turned dark. All she could do was hear what went on around her for a split moment. It was silent for a while and then more noise filled her ears but she could do nothing.

What shocked her was that in the chaotic sounds echoing in her ears she heard a familiar laugh… Yet she couldn't think of where she heard it before.

* * *

Ivan held an annoyed expression as he found himself in an awkward situation. Apparently Hyun Soo needed to complete something yet the North Korean had no means of transportation or money (he does but he's too cheap to spend. Just like Yao…). Ivan was his best friend and roommate so Hyun Soo thought Ivan was the obvious choice for a ride. "Thanks again..." Hyun Soo held a weak smirk as he held onto the Russian's waist. The Russian chuckled weakly as he kept his focus on the road, "Ufufu~ No problem…just don't tell anyone about this."

The North Korean rolled his eyes, "Obviously I won't… Who would I tell, Natalia? That's all the people I know, idiot." He was a loner like Ivan which made their friendship even more real.

The Russian smiled indifferently as a dark aura consumed him, "Then learn how to drive!" He sped up as an act of anger as a sweet smile played behind his masked face. Hyun Soo just held a tight hold in fear. "I'M SORRY-! NOW LET ME OFF YOU MANIAC!"

The Russian held a smirk as he slowed down and pulled over on a deserted street. A small explosive sound was made by the motorcycle and the Russian chuckled, "Ufufu~ I think I broke it…"

Hyun Soo just gave him an "Are you kidding me" expression as the Russian worriedly inspected the vehicle. He wanted to smack Ivan while he still wore his motorcycle helmet. The thought of him smiling through the tinted lens of the helmet seemed to fuel Hyun Soo's anger. He turned to look over his surroundings; only then was he surprised to see a group of 9 men and a girl standing in the distance. All the men looked at the duo as if they were exposed but they quickly held amused grins. They quickly surrounded them leaving the girl against the wall, "Well, what do we have here? A boy trying to ruin our fun?"

"Take off the helmet so we can beat the shit out of you!" called one of the men. "Oh look and he brought another girl!" stated another.

"A flat chested girl though~!" called out another.

Hyun Soo clenched his fist in anger as he pulled out two guns. He glared through tinted lenses "You son of a bitch, I'm a freakin guy!"

The gang of thugs just laughed which fueled his anger. He was about to pull the trigger back on both before the Russian stopped him. "No need to waste your bullets on filth such as this, da? Let me handle it."

Hyun Soo sighed, "Let me guess, I have to pay you back later?"

"Da, of course~," The North Korean held a smirk. "How about we just finish them off together? I don't feel like paying you for doing something as easy as this."

"Da, if you say so." They stood back to back. The Russian held an innocent smile as he stared down his prey. "Step forward, if you dare."

Without hesitation the men charged at them with weapons and smug grins. Already Hyun Soo shot down 3 guys that charged at him and he was done. He yawned at the lack of effort and turned to Ivan who barely started to eliminate his targets. He wanted to make them suffer before he ended their lives. "Sadist~," Hyun Soo whistled. The Russian just swiftly dodged his opponent's attacks feeling amusement as they struggled. "Da, I won't deny it~." He showed a chilling smile, "It's fun~." One guy threw a punch towards Ivan and he effortlessly caught it. With his free hand he flipped the man into another. Both were knocked out in one attack. Two more men then charged at him and Ivan jumped in the air as they collided with each other. He chuckled at the foolishness as one of the men fell back. The Russian swiftly stepped on the other man's back before leaping off and kicking another straight in the face and knocked them out cold. The enemy fell to the ground and Ivan clapped his hands as a sign of being done. "Ufufu~ got the job done and I didn't even kill anyone."

Hyun Soo sighed at his friend's comment as he stared over to the distance. "A girl…"

Everything was quiet as Lan Mei began to stir slightly bringing their full attention. She opened her eyes, still drowsy by the drug. A blurry image of one of the men appeared from behind the duo. He readied a pocket knife so he could stab the two.

Her eyes widened.

"Look out!" Lan Mei cried. With no effort the Russian caught his wrist which held the knife and he tightened his grip. The man screamed in pain dropping the weapon to the ground. Hyun Soo held a smirk and positioned a gun to the man's head. "jug-eul (go die)."

With that said he pulled the trigger and the Russian let the wrist go. The Body fell down, now lifeless.

Certain that all the men were dead the duo looked over to the South Korean teen. She looked up weakly as a small smile was displayed on her face. "T-Thank you for saving me..."

They were surprised by the gratitude. Any normal person would cower in fear at the sight of them hurting so many people. Yet instead she thanked them, they didn't even know each other that well. The duo couldn't ignore the fact that she also warned them as well. Even though Ivan and Hyun Soo could've handled it, they appreciated the thought. Ivan bent down to meet her eye to eye. In that moment he was frozen in place. 'Lan Mei…'

"What's wrong I-." The Russian held a finger to his face. The North Korean just stared at him. "At least take the helmet off if you're going to do that…It looks creepy aigoo…"

The Russian chuckled and looked over to Lan Mei. She struggled to stay awake but it seemed whatever those men did to her was still in effect. She wanted to know who her saviors were yet she couldn't because one of them wore tinted glasses which blocked his eyes while the other wore a motorcycle helmet which masked his entire identity. In addition, her vision was blurred and her hearing wasn't at its best. Ivan stared at her for a moment as he offered a hand. She took it weakly and he pulled her up.

Gently he guided her to the motorcycle where he climbed on first. Hyun Soo helped her up and then he got on last. They squished together so all three could fit on. "Hold on." Ivan stated to Lan Mei before he started the engine and speed off. Hyun Soo held tightly on Lan Mei in fear and she giggled and wrapped her arms around the Russian. She felt joy as the cold air touched her face yet felt safe in Ivan's warmth. Lan Mei felt like she could trust him despite his startling actions. After all, if he was really bad then he wouldn't have helped her. The fact that he was a complete stranger to her also left her mind as she tightly held onto his waist.

Ivan held a flushed face beneath the helmet as he drove around for a place he could drop her off. All that came into mind was either bring her back to their room in the academy, take her to the police station or to bring her to Ivan's house. However, his house was far from where they were and he was deeply worried for her and wanted to make sure she was safe. So he decided to take her back to their dorm room since the Academy was closer.

* * *

Kiku held an uninterested expression as Yao kept complaining on and on about Lan Mei. After getting home it seemed all he did was complain about her. He was slowly getting irritated.

"Aiya, she has some nerve, screaming at me like that aru! She's so rude aru! She sends my blood boiling in rage aru!"

His overuse of the word "aru" in his Japanese made the Japanese teen twitch in response.

"Hai, Hai~. Please Yao-san…tomorrow is Sunday. I would like to relax."

The Chinese teen crossed his arms as he held a scowl. "Tell that to Lan Mei aru. I was looking forward to relaxing too, but she decided to fill my head with angry thoughts aru!"

"Enough. How old are you, 5? Please calm yourself."

Yao clicked his tongue in irritation as he began to mutter words "quietly", "I wonder what that girl is doing now. She's probably screaming at Mei too aru…"

The Japanese teen sighed, 'His thoughts are entirely on Lan Mei-san…'

"Yao-san…? Why don't you try to get your mind off of her? Like read a book, or listen to music." He looked around and saw his sketch pad, "O-Or you could draw!"

Yao thought over the idea and smiled, "Y-Yeah…that's a great idea aru. Thanks Kiku." Kiku nodded as he got back to his laptop. He was in the middle of

Yao flipped through his sketchbook which held different types of art. There were portraits, still life, cartoons and figure drawings. Yao sighed as he pondered on what to draw. He couldn't think of anything so he just grabbed a pencil and let his hand move freely. One stroke after another Yao was completely focused in his work to the very point that the music he listened to was blocked from his mind. When he was done he frowned as he stared at the picture. It was a picture of Lan Mei. The Chinese boy sighed as he slammed his head on his table. "Aiya, I can't get her out of my head aru!" Kiku sighed as he slipped his headphones off to hear what the elder had to say, "Well..? Go ahead Complain, seeing how no matter what I do, I hear you loud and clear." He was obviously annoyed by Yao's ranting.

Yao shook his head as he walked over to Kiku with a flushed face, "…Can you call Mei, tell her to put Lan Mei on the phone aru. I-I need to apologize aru…"

Kiku held an amused smirk, "What happened? Usually you're so prideful, Yao-san."

"…I can't stop thinking about her aru. So maybe if I apologize…-"

"It might calm you down?" Yao nodded and Kiku began to dial. After a couple of rings Mei picked up. Her voice was dejected and filled with uneasiness which surprised the Japanese teen. He asked her what was wrong.

 **L-Lan isn't back yet! I-It's 9:30! Lan was supposed to be here 2 hours ago!**

It was true; they got out at work at 6:00 pm which gives them time to take the bus and get back near the school to enter the dorms before curfew. Even if the buses took a long time she would have come home at least at 8:00 pm.

Kiku looked over to Yao and held a hesitant look, "I-It seems Lan is missing…"

Yao stared at his roommate in shock. Guilt washed over him and he became angry at himself for letting her leave on her own.

He rushed out the room despite it being close to curfew. Kiku called out to him, "Yao, where are you going?"

"To find her aru!"

Kiku sighed as he looked around both ways before shutting the door. 'Hurry before you get in trouble with the president…!'

Quickly the Chinese teen ran around the halls. He didn't know where to go since he debated on whether Lan Mei was the type to run away from "home" when she got angry or if she just ran into some trouble. "Maybe if I go back and ask Kiku to call Mei again I can ask her about Lan Mei aru..."

He sighed at the idea thinking it to be the best plan but froze when he heard footsteps. He immediately heard a certain Brit speak. 'A-Aiya i-it's the president-!' He quickly knocked on the nearest dorm room to him.

"P-Please, o-open up aru. I-I'm begging you aru." Yao couldn't afford to get caught; he had barely just started his search.

* * *

Ivan stared at Lan Mei with gentle eyes. Due to the drug's effects she fell asleep so he has been watching her. As a result of his close watch, Natalia won't try anything out of jealousy. "If we get caught with a girl, they'll expel us, Ivan." Hyun Soo stated bluntly. He had to chuckle at the face Ivan made when he stared at her. 'What the hell he looks like a puppy trying to guard their master…'

Ivan just kept his usual blank smile as he suddenly petted her soft brown hair. "They won't find out if I hide her, da?"

Hyun Soo raised a brow, "Where are you hiding her…?" Ivan remained quiet as he looked up at his roommate with a smile. Hyun Soo was curious so he started to guess. "Are you hiding her under the bed…?"

Ivan chuckled, "Nyet, she's not a baggage, she's a person."

Hyun Soo paused and immediately his face turned red.

"A-A-Ani! D-Don't tell me you're going to just sleep with her!"

The Russian was quiet as he held a pink face. "I'm not going to do anything to her…."

"Ani! ANI, ANI, ANI!"

The Russian sighed as he stared at Lan Mei, "…Then you share your bed with her? You two practically look like siblings…" He pointed out the many similarities they shared such as having a unique hair curl, same eye and hair color.

The North Korean was done with this conversation, "ANIII!" he was redder than a tomato as he jumped into bed and hid in his sheets. "D-Don't do anything to her while I'm a-asleep! G-got it!?"

"Da~." Ivan was left alone with a sleeping Lan Mei. He looked over to the digital clock which read 9:50 pm in bright red. "It's almost curfew…"

Ivan lifted her head from his lap and got up. He began to take off her black boots and he set them to the side. He then scooped the South Korean up in strong arms and rested her on his bed. Ivan pulled the covers over her and quickly walked over to shut the light.

He then walked back and lifted the covers letting his head being the only thing visible. Slowly he began to close his violet eyes only to open them suddenly when he felt small arms wrap around his waist under the sheets.

Ivan submerged his head to see what the South Korean girl was doing and he immediately flushed. 'So cute…'

Lan Mei was obviously still asleep as she seemed to simply cuddle with him as if he was a stuffed animal. He held a blush as he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her bringing her slightly closer. He then heard noise outside and then a series of knocks.

"P-Please, o-open up aru. I-I'm begging you aru."

The Russian debated whether to let it settle down or to get up and answer. In the end he got up since Hyun Soo was getting annoyed. "Open the f*ckin' door!"

Ivan looked through the peephole quickly seeing a feminine looking boy. He sighed and opened the door. Without a moment of thought the Chinese teen ran in quickly. "C-Close the door, hurry aru..!" The Russian nodded slowly and did as asked.

He sighed; "Xie Xie aru…" the Chinese boy weakly got up and looked through the peephole with worried eyes. He watched as one of the night guards passed the halls. "Ufufu~ excuse me but who are you…?"

Yao stepped away from the door and looked over to Ivan with a small smile, "I'm Wang Yao aru..." his voice was slightly sad which made Ivan curious.

"Did something happen…?"

Yao silently nodded not really trusting of the Russian. Ivan saw this and sighed as he looked over to his bed for a moment. '…I have to be careful he can't find out that I have a girl here…better to drive him out if I make him uncomfortable.'

"Thank you again aru…Sorry for the trouble aru." Yao bowed slightly and stood still moving his eyes around to observe the room, 'I don't trust this guy… he's too suspicious.' As if reading his mind Ivan chuckled and held an indifferent smile.

"Yao, if you don't mind me asking, da? …Why are you out of your room when it's close to curfew…? It seems very _suspicious~_."

Yao held a weak scowl, "I-I'm looking for a friend aru. We…just got into a fight..."

Ivan nodded, uninterested as he kept his fake smile, "well then, better get a move on, da? There's no way you'll find your friend here~."

Yao nodded and muttered in annoyance, "I know aru…" he walked off. Yao froze at the door turning slightly at him, "Your name aru? You didn't tell me it."

"Ivan Braginski."

Yao nodded as he held a forced smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you aru. Until then, Zài jiàn Ivan, goodbye aru." He exited, closing the door and Ivan gave a relieved sigh as he locked the door and walked back to his bed. 'Annoying…'

He crept under the sheets with a small smile as he watched Lan Mei continue to sleep.

He slowly reached under his pillow pulling out the envelope from before as he began to read his task silently in his mind.

To: NaVi

From: XXXXXXXX

To be blunt I want to hire you, Mr. Assassin. I know that this might come as a contradiction to your job; however, I hope that what I'm paying you will suffice to your needs. My demand is simple; I want you to protect a girl. She isn't some ordinary girl…, despite her appearance. This girl is incredibly gifted. With the proper training in a short amount of time she could even put your skills to shame. However that isn't the point I am trying to state, in all honesty she isn't fully developed to do so… and I would like it to stay that way. I want you to protect her from those who seek to misuse her gift. If you succeed I guarantee to pay you 60 grand (60,000 U.S dollars.). The girl goes by the name Im Lan Mei. She seems like a normal girl, however don't be mistaken. This girl has the ability to adapt at a quick rate unlike the average human. She has "Strange abilities" that allow her to move, react and learn quickly in little amount of time when she needs to adapt. It is very important that you keep a close eye on her, especially at this time of her life (high school). Many will try to steal her and undergo experiments to unlock her special gift; if they succeed… it will be a danger to everyone. Good luck, Mr. Assassin.

Once he finished reading he sighed looking over at the girl sleeping next to him. 'This has to be a joke…, right?'

He yawned and ended up drifting to sleep pulling the girl close.

* * *

 **AN: Now the real start of the action takes place xD~. Yep, LanMei is kindof like a superhuman but doesn't know it herself. And Ivan is a part time assassin (who takes up any job given to him by anyone that pays good money) with an information broker retired hitman as his best friend. Meanwhile Yao is...well you'll find out eventually o3o. Also, thanks for reading. Please Fav, follow and review, it really helps ^^~! -Fiore**


	4. Chapter 4

Lan Mei fluttered her eyes open and began to stare quietly around the room. She sat up with sleepy eyes as she began to speak in a fatigued voice. "This isn't…my room da-ze."

"No kidding," her head turned over to Hyun Soo who held a lazy smirk. "Anyo~."

It took a few seconds for Lan Mei to realize what was happening and immediately she fell back with a brief scream. "A-A-Aigoo, I-I…y-you…how!?"

Hyun Soo sighed, 'Well good morning to you, too… Aish she was much better when she was half-asleep.'

"Calm down… I'm not going to hurt you."

Lan Mei nodded slowly as she began to retrace back her actions from yesterday night.

'A gang…and then…,' she slowly formed a nervous smile as she relaxed on the bed, "A-ah…you saved my life da-ze…"

"Dae…" Hyun Soo answered slowly. Knowing that fact alone only shocked him since he was always "Ending a life" since he was an information broker and a retired hitman.

Lan Mei stared quietly at Hyun Soo as she remembered what she was thinking before. She held a sheepish smile as she shyly voiced out her thoughts, "Excuse me… but where are we? Y-You see I'm…"

"We're at W. Academy… specifically in the Male dormitories. …You're a student here, right…?" Hyun Soo remembered Ivan stating she was a student before he left to "take care of things". She slowly nodded and Hyun Soo smiled. "My name is Kim Hyun Soo, and you?"

"Im Lan Mei…"

"Oh I heard of your name before. I just forgot where…, " he stated in languid surprise. Lan Mei suppressed a giggle at his sluggish character and Hyun Soo immediately smirked. "Dae, did I do something funny?"

Lan Mei held a smile as she waved his thoughts away, "Ani, Ani~. Mianhae, It's just… your character. It's shocking for me to believe that you took the time to save me."

Hyun Soo chuckled and brought a hand to his chest in mock hurt, "Ouch. That hurt, Lan Mei."

The mood was lightened up for a moment before Lan Mei's phone rang. She quickly picked up the phone and paled, at the sound of Mei's voice screaming in tears. 'Oh no….'

Hyun Soo walked over listening to the girl's conversation.

"M-Mei I'm sorry for worrying you…"

A feminine voice was heard on the other end. It spoke loudly and scolded Lan repeatedly. **Lan Mei, do you know how worried I was! You didn't answer your phone and I tried calling the police a-and—**

"D-Dae…I know, I know da-ze…"

More scolding and Lan Mei sighed. "I'm going back now…"

Hyun Soo just stared as the conversation was carried out for several minutes more.

The Korean girl breathed out a great sigh of annoyance as she hung up the phone. She crossed her arms and held a pout, "She's so over protective…"

"Who is?"

"M-My friend…," For a moment Lan Mei forgot that Hyun Soo was sitting right next to her.

Hyun Soo gave a pat on the head, "Ah, I see. Well, I guess she would understand when you tell her what happened last night." He paused and bent down so he could be face to face with her, "Don't tell her about—."

"I won't." Lan Mei knew perfectly well to leave out the part of Hyun Soo saving her. If word gotten out that there was a hitman in the school then the other students would panic.

Hyun Soo smiled in approval, "Good."

With that said he jumped back to his bed as Lan Mei prepared to get ready. She placed on her boots and gave a bow, "Thanks again."

Hyun Soo nodded and followed her to the doorway.

Before she left she looked back with red tinted cheeks. In her memory she specifically remembered another figure with Hyun Soo. The memory was hazy yet she wanted to know…

"Um…Hyun Soo. I-If I remember correctly there was someone else with you… Can you tell me who he was? I-I would like to thank him…"

"He's my friend. For personal reasons… he doesn't want you knowing his identity."

Lan Mei held a frown, "Ah…I see. T-Tell him I said thanks then?"

Hyun Soo nodded and waved the South Korean girl off. Hyun Soo closed the door and walked over to the bathroom. He knocked on the door and quickly it was opened, revealing the Russian teen. Ivan held a smirk, "Ufufu~ for a loner you easily talked to her, da?"

Hyun Soo reddened, "S-Shut up… I was close to my limit! A-and at least I had spoken to her." He began to teasingly laugh as he poked at the Russian, "Hiding in the bathroom, you're such a coward."

Ivan smiled sweetly as he took a seat on his bed, his face slowly became pink. "I already told you, I can't have her knowing what I am."

"Oh right, you have to guard her…" Hyun Soo smirked, "heh, then would it have made more sense to keep her here? What if she gets attacked on her way to her dorm?"

Ivan cocked his head slightly in an innocent fashion, "…Now you tell me."

"I thought you knew!"

Ivan chuckled to himself as he got up, "Ufufu~ I was just kidding. I have Natalia watching her whenever I'm not able to. It's only temporary…" Hyun Soo sighed. "…and what if she kills her? She's probably jealous since you brought her here…" 'Not to mention you shared a bed with her…'

"She won't." the Russian stated calmly and he began to drift off in his own thoughts. A small dust of color spreads on his face. Hyun Soo just hoped he was right yet found himself bothered by a thought. "Ivan, do you like her by any chance?"

Ivan jumped at his question, for the first time Hyun Soo saw the Russian become embarrassed. "W-what are you saying…? I-I just met her…"

"Don't lie to me…," Hyun Soo awkwardly stated, 'This is unusual…'

The Russian teen sighed, "Fine, I admit that we met before but she's only a job. Once this is over we'll have enough money and sestra will get better."

"…Are you sure?"

"Da."

It was quiet and Hyun Soo rolled his eyes. "If you say so..."

* * *

The moment Lan Mei walked through the door she was immediately tackled in a tight hug by Mei who held tears. Lan Mei held a sad smile as she hugged her friend and tried to reassure her that she was fine.

"W-What happened to you? I was so worried!"

Lan Mei didn't know where to begin so she just silently stayed in her arms. Mei held a worried face, "Lan Mei…please I was so worried."

"C-can I get changed first… I promise to tell you."

Mei nodded and allowed her to change into some casual and warm clothes. Lan Mei sighed and sat down on the bed. Mei sat next to her and listened.

"Mei…I almost died yesterday."

Mei's eyes widened and she grabbed her shoulders, "Y-You're joking, right?"

Lan Mei sadly smiled, "I wish… but please don't worry I'm fine now da-ze… Anyway…" She paused to think of how to explain.

"After work Yao and I were fighting… so we went our own ways. T-Then…a group of men surrounded me. They were going to "have some fun" with me…" her voice got quieter and weaker at the end.

Mei tensed up at each word and pulled her in a hug, "I-It's okay…I-I get it. You don't have to say anymore...!"

Lan Mei felt tears escape the corners of her chocolate brown eyes as she thought of what would've happened if she wasn't saved by Hyun Soo and his friend.

"Mei, mianhae… I shouldn't have gone alone. I should have stayed with Yao da-ze…"

Mei shook her head as she rubbed her back reassuringly despite being shaken from the news, "I-It's fine… it wasn't your fault that you got into a fight." She weakly chuckled, "Y-Yao-gege is such a short tempered i-idiot after all…S-so i-its fine…"

Lan Mei pulled away from her shaking her head, "A-Ani…I was the idiot, I said some things I shouldn't have said."

Mei sighed as she forced a smile and wiped Lan Mei's tears. "Lan… You're probably tired, right…? I'll call and say that you were sick."

"A-Ani…It's bad to miss work especially when I recently started…!"

Mei just kept her smile as she tried to be her usual cheerful self, "L-Lan~ you shouldn't force yourself~! Besides the boss is really nice and will understand," She was already calling the work much to Lan Mei's disapproval. Lan Mei held a pout and Mei giggled sadly, "Lan, please rest." Mei then turned her attention to the phone and began to explain to the boss. After she had hung up with a small smile and turned to the South Korean teen. The deed was done and Lan Mei felt miserable that she would have to spend her time in her dorm, alone.

She wanted to go to work like Mei, she also wanted to see Lien and Yao. She began to think about the Chinese teen and she felt depressed. She began to mutter words, completely swallowing her pride; her cheeks flushed a slight pink, "I need to apologize to Yao…"

Mei sighed and dialed Kiku's phone number. If this would make her happy then she would do it even if it meant calling her annoying big brother, "Hi Kiku. Can you put my brother on the phone?"

She paused and smiled when as she heard Kiku talking to Yao on the other end. Quickly she handed the phone to Lan Mei who was slightly confused.

 **Nihao Ma aru…?**

Lan Mei was surprised to hear him sound so depressed.

"A-Anyo…?" She shyly stated and immediately the other end was silent for a few minutes.

She thought he left so she anxiously called out his name. "Y-Yao…?"

 **Lan Mei… what happened to you aru…?**

Lan Mei chuckled unhappily, "W-Well….it's a long story da-ze. M-Mei can tell you…"

 **I-I see aru… Are you coming to work today aru?**

Lan Mei was silent before speaking again. "Mei is forcing me to stay home da-ze…"

 **I see aru…**

It became quiet between the two before both apologized in unison. They paused again and giggled weakly at their actions.

"Y-Yao…I'm very sorry for lying to you da-ze. I was wrong… I should have just told you truthfully what you needed to know."

 **I'm sorry too aru. I was being rude and I wasn't taking your feelings into account aru. I-I was being so stupid… getting all mad for something as little as a lie. Lan Mei, please forgive me aru.**

"D-Dae, Yao. Is it okay if we forget about what happened and just be friends…?" She heard Yao chuckle happily.

 **Yes. I would love to be friends' aru.**

Lan Mei held a smile, "A-Aigoo, I-I'm glad da-ze."

 **Me too aru.**

Mei pouted as she yanked the phone from Lan Mei, "Gege, you better treat Lan right! She's had a bad day yesterday because of you!"

Lan Mei chuckled as Mei screamed into the phone. She fell back in her bed smiling at the fact that Yao finally became friends with her. Despite it being just one day it took to become friends with the stubborn boy she felt like it actually took many years. Mei hung up the phone with an irritated sigh, "Idiot Brother…"

Lan Mei giggled and Mei got ready to leave, "Don't do anything while I'm gone, Lan. Just take a nap and relax. Before you know it I'll be back."

Lan Mei rolled her eyes and smiled kindly towards her friend. "I will."

Mei left the girl with a smile and went to work. Today was going to be a Lazy Sunday for the Korean girl. A day she hoped to spend playing video games, reading manga/manhwa and sleeping in hopes of cheering herself up. On the other hand she was completely oblivious to the fact of being watched by a stranger on her "Lazy Sunday".

* * *

 **AN: Yay, Yao and Lan Mei are finally friends! But poor Lan Mei is frightened about that incident. Hopefully she gets better and doesn't get into more trouble~ ^3o. Until next time, fav, follow and review. It is greatly appreciated~! -Fiore**


	5. Chapter 5

As always Lan Mei sat quietly in the back with her energetic brother Yong Soo. During the school year she never really paid attention to the faces around her other than her friends and brother yet the fact that she noticed many familiar faces in the class now made her wonder what she had been doing all throughout the months of freshman year. Now being in the month of November, it made her wonder what she had been doing since the start of the school term in April.

Yong Soo simply smirks as a group now clustered close to them. Something that was completely shocking for a shy girl such as Lan Mei.

"Aigoo, look how popular you are Lan~."

Lan Mei cheeks began to heat up in embarrassment which caused her friends to giggle and tease her for being "cute".

Yong Soo had been referring to the new friends that surrounded her which included Lien, Yao, Hyun Soo, and Ivan. Her old friends which were already acquainted to Yong Soo were Mei, Kiku, Wei Xiang, Song Yi, and Elizabeth who wasn't even in their home room at all.

"That's him aru! That's the guy Yong Soo spoke of aru!" Song Yi stated loudly as she pointed at Yao. She was lucky that the other groups of students blocked her loud voice and that the teacher was not there yet to scold her for being so loud.

Yao just ignored her as he silently glared at Ivan. Ivan held a false smile as he "glared" back at Yao. Meanwhile, Hyun Soo who sat between them was slightly shocked at the fact that Yong Soo looked exactly like him but with slight differences ( Hyun Soo has long hair tied in a braid and a downward curl and Yong Soo has short haired with an upward curl) and that their names were sort of similar.

"Are we secretly related or something…?"

Yong Soo chuckled nervously, "I don't think so da-ze…"

Elizabeth just sighed at their foolishness as she spoke with Lien and Wei Xiang. Their conversation was about their family corporations and the struggles of being the family successor which Elizabeth unfortunately could not relate to so well… Mei and Kiku spoke together in their daily "lovers-talk" which just left Lan Mei alone in silence despite the fact they all decided to gather around her in the first place….

Lan Mei just sighed as she pulled out a manga volume to read as she had always done. She always preferred actions over words so she did not mind to be part of conversations. However, Ivan and Yao were the first to notice that she felt left out so they tried to think of a topic for conversation.

"What are you reading, Lan~?"

Lan Mei picked up her head and smiled, "I-I'm reading manga…"

"What's the title and genre aru?" Yao asked with interest.

"E-Eh… w-well it's called XXXXXXXX (insert romance-manga name…) da-ze…It's supposed to be a Romance and Action…." She blushed a deep red and became quiet at the end.

Both Yao and Ivan chuckled at her nervous state. "Ufufu~ so cute," Ivan stated unconsciously. This made her cheeks heat up even more and Yao scowled at Ivan, "Aiya, control your words, you'll cause a misunderstanding aru!"

At the amount of attention being drawn to her currently; Lan Mei couldn't help but feel more shameful so she had dropped her head on the desk, managing to hide her face in her book. "you guys..."

"Everyone, listen up!" The teacher stated as he walked in. Immediately, Elizabeth said goodbye to the group and left the classroom to her own. Everyone became quiet now.

"Okay class, today I was told that we're changing up seating arrangements. Everyone get up and pick a paper from the bin to determine your new seat."

Everyone got up and did as he said.

* * *

"14…" Lan Mei stared at the paper with confused eyes.

Yao smiled as he pointed at his paper, "I have 15, and I think we're sitting next to each other aru."

Ivan chuckled as he smiled sweetly at Lan Mei, "Ufufu~ How lucky I get the window and I sit next to Lan."

"What number did you get da-ze?" Lan Mei asked in curiosity. "13."

'How fitting aru…' Yao thought with a pout.

By the time everyone was settled in new seats the teacher quickly made note while taking attendance, the bell rang signaling the next class. Apparently these seats will be permanent throughout the entire freshman year…

 _Ding-Dong—_

Lan Mei was startled by the loud bell. She got up hesitantly, grabbing her bag and began to walk the halls to her first class, Art.

She held a smile and took an empty seat. She heard movement near her and turned to see Yao. She turned slightly pink, "Yao, you have the same Art class as me….?"

'How did I not notice him…?'

Yao nodded with a smile, "It seems like it aru." He looked around glad that Ivan wasn't there instead a girl with long beige hair and a white bow sat next to them.

The teacher called for everyone's attention as she wrote down some words on the chalkboard, "Okay, today we're going to use all the skills that I have taught you until now to draw a picture that fits a certain theme." She paused and began writing with a smile. Once she was done she read the theme out loud, "As you can see the theme that I've chosen is… To draw what brings happiness to you."

The students who took interest had stated a simple cheer as they began to work. Lan Mei thought for a moment, she honestly didn't know what to draw despite the fact that she was happy towards many things. Her friends…and family were obvious choices yet many of the students were drawing it. She paused for a moment before she smiled in realization.

She quickly began drawing out her "happiness".

Minutes passed and most of the students were finished with drawing. The teacher soon called out students to present. She called on Lan Mei first; a fact which had succeeded in making Lan Mei's stomach churn with anxiousness.

Lan Mei shyly walked up to the room, slightly being tripped on the way by a certain East German.

She held a small scowl as she presented the picture. It wasn't the best artwork, yet it had potential compared to the decent works drawn by others. It had a life like sort of look yet was sort of cartoonish. The picture was of Lan Mei's hairpin. "T-This is a hairpin my mother gave to me…"

The teacher smiled, "Such a pretty picture, Lan Mei. Would you like to explain why you consider this your happiness?"

Lan Mei paused for a moment she honestly didn't want to but didn't want to seem rude. After all she didn't want to share her life with a class filled with strangers and some bullies. "I-it brings me happiness because it was a gift from my mom. I don't remember much about my mom except the fact that she had a pretty smile and liked to dress up a lot so…"

The teacher nodded with understanding, "Yes, thank you, Lan. Truly splendid!"

Lan Mei nodded at her words, and quietly listened through several critics from the students that Lan Mei had to point at when they raised their hand. Soon after she had sat back down. She jumped slightly when she felt Yao tap her shoulder lightly, "Lan is that really true. What you said about your mother."

Lan Mei reassuring smiled. She was appreciative of his concern, "Dae, of course da-ze. But it is fine, I'm grateful to have some memento."

Yao nodded and soon enough he was called to the front of the class for talking. He held a pout as he hesitated on showing the picture. When he showed the artwork the room was filled with amazement and awe. It was a picture of a girl with dark hair and matching brown hair. She wore a gentle smile as she was sitting on her knees while reading a book and listening to music. Lan Mei stared in shock, 'H-he managed to draw something like that in only a few minutes?!' "Marvelous, Yao! Please explain to the class about your art work."

Yao sighed with red cheeks, "…I prefer not to talk about it aru."

There were some pleas yet Yao shrugged it off. When he noticed Lan Mei stare curiously at the picture he smiled sheepishly and spoke, "W-Well…this girl is a friend of mine aru…"

A hand was raised and the teacher looked over to Gilbert allowing him to speak. "Um Excuse me but…"

He pointed to Lan Mei with a smirk, "…Why does the girl look like Lan Mei?"

Several students spoke in agreement and there were some mutterings.

"Could it be that Yao was trying to confess to Lan Mei? Are they going to date?"

"Ew! Who would want to date the anti-social otaku?"

Yao went silent just as Lan Mei did. "That's—."

The bell rang loudly signaling the next class. Quickly, Lan Mei got up with a red face before Yao could reach her. All that went on in her head was a single question, 'I-I'm Yao's happiness?'

* * *

Throughout the day, Lan Mei met with her friends in different classes. Yet Yao and Ivan seemed to be in almost every class. It made Lan Mei wonders how she never had noticed them; she was in the second term already and she had just noticed until now!

However, due to first period Lan Mei spent most of the day "avoiding" Yao. The South Korean merely sat quietly ignoring Yao as he tried to explain. She was still restless by what Gilbert said but reasoned that he was just bullying her like always. To her surprise Ivan appeared more frequently than Yao though, and she was glad to discover that they both shared the same free period.

Lan Mei was currently reading Manga like always when it came to her free time. She was in the library. As always she didn't want to study and instead she was in the mood to reading her manga since she didn't have anyone to talk to. That's when Ivan came in.

"Lan, what are you doing?" Lan Mei looked up meeting with his purple eyes. A small dust of pink colored her cheeks as she looked up from the manga.

"I-Ivan...what are you doing here?"

"Ufufu~ you don't answer a question with another question, Lan. It looks like we have the same free period. I can sit down here, da?" Lan Mei nodded shyly and Ivan hesitantly sat next to her. He held a small blush as he smiled his usual sweet-coated false smile. Yet something was different by such a smile. In Lan Mei's eyes she could feel more happiness.

The South Korean girl smiled at this fact, "I like you better like this da-ze."

The Russian froze from hearing her words and he quickly felt warmth travel to his face, "L-Lan Mei…?" Realizing what she had said, she quickly covered her face in embarrassment with the book and muttered an apology for her choice of words. "W-What I meant was… I'm glad that you're smiling more naturally."

Ivan chuckled weakly at her words as he grew redder, his violet eyes began tracing back and forth with unease at the girl's strange words, "O-oh really…?"

"Dae…," she lowered the book down slowly to inspect his face. A side she never expected seeing on the tall Russian who had helped her from a bully. She giggled as she began stretching his cheeks, "Y-You're so red, Ivan…!"

He naturally smiled at her like she said. 'Her hands are so gentle…' Realizing her rude actions and the fact that the school's Librarian was getting extremely peeved; she had stopped stretching his cheeks and smiled back sheepishly. Her face was heating up in the process, "I'm sorry… I was rude."

Ivan reassured the South Korean. However, when Ivan saw a familiar figure come his way Ivan got up. It was the Cantonese assassin which he had fought on the roof when he was given the job to assassinate a man. Ivan quickly held out a hand for Lan Mei to take as he smiled, "L-Let's go out for a while, it's too boring and quiet in the library." Lan Mei nodded timidly and she followed Ivan hand in hand. She felt uneasy by the warmth that enveloped her small hand. It was nice yet she couldn't help but feel this way since she wasn't use to this type of affection other than what her big brother gave her. "Where are we going da-ze?"

"…Let's just find a place outside the school to sit and talk."

Lan Mei smiled at the idea and her cheeks redden slowly. 'What do I do…? S-should I refer to XXXX for help. A-ani...maybe XXXXXXX is better to reference in this situation.' A list of manga titles only seemed to fill her thoughts.

They found a nice area to sit by near a tree.

It was silent between them until Ivan had spoken up, "Lan, remember what I told you last time?"

"What you told me last time…?"

"Ufufu~ the hairpin. I'm glad to see that you're wearing it~."

Lan Mei nodded now understanding what he was saying, "D-Dae…o-of course I would… it won't get stolen anymore if I do." The Russian smiled as he began to pet her head gently, "Ufufu~ I'm very glad."

He looked into her soft chocolate eyes and found himself lost for a moment.

"Lan… I was wondering—"

Again Ivan caught sight of the Cantonese teen in the distance making him feel uneasy. 'What is he trying to do….? Could he be after Lan?'

The Cantonese held a smirk as he stared at Ivan. He began mouthing words and Ivan frowned.

 **Keep a tight hold on that girl while you still have the chance… it seems you'll have to face trouble soon.**

Before Ivan could react the Cantonese disappeared. Lan Mei closed her book and looked up to Ivan sensing his attitude changed suddenly. "…What's wrong?"

Ivan looked over to her and smiled indifferently like usual, "N-Nothing…"

Lan Mei held a pout, 'Aigoo…he's doing it again, that fake smile."

"Ivan, please. If there's something wrong—"

"I said I'm fine...," he got up slowly and Lan Mei followed him. He began to look around worriedly as Lan Mei tried to track what he was observing. The South Korean could find what he was looking for though. So she had to conclude that he was just bothered by her presence and was just trying to avoid her indirectly. "Mianhae…I-I'll leave." Ivan quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back before she could leave. Her back hit lightly against his chest and she blushed. 'E-eh…I-I'm…'

"I-I-Ivan…?"

"…We have class together next, da? We should stay together…," again he flashed a sweet coated-deceiving smile. The only thing Lan Mei could do was utter a soft "Dae…," as she studied him with perplexed eyes. 'W-what could it be that is making him act this way?' Her thoughts were slowly replaced when she felt her stomach growl suddenly. She covered get face as she timidly tried to hide her hunger. However, another thought replaced her worries for Ivan.

"I-Ivan, are you hungry?"

Ivan raised a brow, "Hungry?"

"Dae, I have a bento. W-Want to share…?" The Russian assassin was baked by her kind actions. Lan Mei giggled at his bashfulness and guided him back down. He sunk down in his scarf, slightly hiding his face as he muttered some words, "Y-you don't have to, Lan. It's your food…" Lan Mei chuckled, 'He sounds like me…when it comes to sharing food.'

The Korean took out her chopsticks and picked up a piece of chicken, 'Yong Soo said boys liked meat …so would this be fine da-ze…?'

"Ani, I don't mind sharing. H-Here... have some chicken, Ivan."

Ivan sheepishly nodded and bent down with an open mouth. She giggled and feed him the chicken and he began to chew.

"H-How is it…?"

He swallowed and smiled, "Very delicious." She smiled as well and began to eat some food as well. She feed him more meat accompanied with some rice. They took breaks to talk together and soon enough a group of people walked by muttering and pointing that them. Both Lan Mei and Ivan flushed bright red at the words they had heard, but due to Ivan's intimidating appearance had succeeded in scaring them off. Lan Mei only giggled nervously as she tried to reassure him that they were just being immature. Ivan felt differently about the subject, 'Why would they bully someone like her…'

It was soon time for their next class which was Spanish.

Spanish went by quickly because she had class with Ivan, Yao and Hyun Soo. Lan Mei held a red face throughout the class since she had to do a dialog with them. It was very difficult to keep a straight face when hearing Ivan's Russian accented Spanish and Yao's Chinese accented Spanish.

After Spanish class was Science with her brother Yong Soo, Ivan and Yao. For some reason Lan Mei had noticed this Belarusian named Natalia had kept watching her with a scowl…

Lan Mei felt scared but tried to ignore it.

Finally, she had reached her last class; Global-History. She immediately found Lien, Ivan, and Elizabeth so she had decided to gather around them.

During this time Elizabeth was talking to Arthur the president of the student council. Elizabeth was the vice President so it was a common occurrence yet Lan Mei noticed Elizabeth's constant timidity towards the other Brit and immediately teased her when he was talking to someone else.

"Someone's in love da-ze~"

"S-Shut up…!" she silently screamed in the middle of the lesson. Lan Mei giggled silently and began to write in her notebook, and then she started drawing. Lien noticed this and decided to take notes for both of them since she was responsible. Lien was like her mother but at the same time she wasn't. "Okay, everyone get into a group of four. I'll assign you what document you will read and you will make a list of important facts you learned."

Everyone did as she said excluding some lazy students in the class. Quickly Lan Mei got to work with her friends and quickly finished her side of the work. She raised her hand asking to use the bathroom and the teacher allowed her to go quickly.

Ivan paled at this, he raised his hand asking if he could use the bathroom as well but the teacher told him to wait until Lan Mei came back. He sighed in irritation and tried to text Hyun Soo or Natalia on his phone.

 **Alright, I'll see what I can do. . -Hyun Soo**

 **I'm on my way, brother. Please reconsider marrying me when this is all over. –Natalia.**

Ivan stared at Natalia's response with great uneasiness, 'Nyet….that could never happen. It just can't….'

He was somewhat relieved; hopefully nothing bad will happen to Lan Mei.

* * *

Lan Mei sighed as she exited out the bathroom, she was now heading back to the halls but for some reason the same Belarusian girl kept following her. The South Korean teen thought she was just imagining things but she could have sworn she saw was being time, the stranger had observed Lan Mei's activity with effort.

'I-Is she a stalker?! O-or maybe she's was sent by Gilbert to bully me even more...? Aish, why can't he leave me alone!'

Lan Mei looked back from the corner of her eye; when she had the opportunity the South Korean had dashed off. "S-Stop…!" the Belarusian called. The threatening tone was like daggers of ice to Lan Mei and it sent shivers down her spine.

'W-what did I do to deserve this…,' she turned the corner and looked around for a place to hide. In her sights she saw a Cantonese boy walking the halls. She brightened, 'M-Maybe he can help-!'

"Wait-!" she saw the Belarusian gain on her and Lan Mei quickly called out to the boy, "P-Please help-!"

The Cantonese cracked a small smirk on his monotone face. Instantly, Natalia grew anxious. Her brother told her about a Cantonese student who was also secretly an assassin. His motives were unclear; however Ivan had explained that the last assassination job was ordered by the stranger's boss.

So without hesitation she started throwing her knives at the enemy. Lan Mei's complexion drastically changed color from the fear she had obviously felt. 'Í-Is this girl crazy?!'

The Cantonese teen dodged them easily with no effort and grabbed Lan Mei's hand. He pulled her forward in a run and dashed down the hallway; still he dodged the blades while he managed to keep Lan Mei from getting hit. Lan Mei was surprised by this and almost tripped. 'Ís this girl really that special…?' Thought the Cantonese assassin as a sigh escaped his lips. 'Her skills are mediocre…'

His eyes darted to the window for his escape.

The Cantonese could jump down easily with her but… he decided it best if he just outran the Belarusian without having to endanger the South Korean girl's life. 'She's needed alive…,' he reminded himself.

Noticing that her classroom was close by; Lan Mei had decided to make a dash for it. However, the Cantonese didn't allow it and he quickly lifted her over his shoulder before she could. This made her jumpy as a blush spread across her face from feeling humiliated, "L-Let me down…!"

The Cantonese simply ignored her as he continued to carry her off. She struggled in his arms, insisting that he had to let her go because her teacher was expecting her yet he only responded with an uncaring silence.

Natalia continued to chase them down fueled by the thought of marrying Ivan if she completed the job correctly.

-Ding-dong—

The bell rang suddenly signaling the end of school. This only made Lan Mei pale in panic. 'H-how am I going to explain this to the teacher?!'

Hong sighed seeing he had no choice but to use the window. The next window he spotted down his run through the halls was near a tree. All he had to do was jump and land on the thick branches safely. Then, he could safely jump through the trees without being seen by the many high school students exiting the building. Easily he swiftly jumped into the air. Lan Mei was scared by this as her thoughts of escape intensified. As if by reflex, her body moved swiftly. She leaned forward, tugging tightly on his jacket from the back. This made him lose focus which had ruined his attempt at landing in the trees, "Shi—!"

A spark in her eye showed delight and immediately her body moved on its own at the thrill of falling. Lan Mei took the chance to push away from his grasp, freely falling on her own. Yet, that spark vanished and in midair she realized what she had done. The girl fearfully stared at the high distance and closed her eyes in fright, 'I'm going to die…!' She expected pain but instead she felt a small thump and warmth. Hesitantly she fluttered her brown orbs and found a pair of violet eyes staring back at her.

He panted heavily which made Lan Mei wonder, 'D-Did he run all the way here…b-but how…he wouldn't have made it—'

That's when she remembered the stranger from before, "T-That guy-!"

The South Korean girl looked around but the stranger wasn't anywhere to be found. Instead, the Belarusian from before had ran over with anxious eyes. Lan Mei paled, "S-Stay back…! I-I know karate-!"

Lan Mei mentally slapped herself for her stupidity, 'Really Lan Mei…Karate?!'

Ivan chuckled and rose up with Lan Mei from the ground. Immediately, she hid behind Ivan. "Ufufu don't worry, Lan. T-this is my little sister, Natalia..."

Lan Mei eyes had widened in obvious shock at such a fact. "Y-Your sister-?"

"Da~."

For a moment it was quiet among the group until Lan Mei spoke up fearfully. "W-Why were you chasing after me da-ze…?"

"My Bro—."

Ivan chuckled nervously as he patted the Belarusian girl on the head which immediately silenced her. A pink blush colored her face as she obediently awaited her next orders…

"…that doesn't really matter, what matters is if Lan is safe."

Lan Mei, although she was glad for his concern towards her safety, somewhat suspected he was trying to hide something, "D-Dae…I'm safe…t-thank you da-ze."

Ivan was grateful of her thanks. The feeling of warmth from her gratitude towards him was enough of a reward for today's events. "Da, no problem~."

They stared sheepishly at each other for a moment before Natalia clung tightly onto his arm, "Big brother is mine! Only mine, not yours! We're going to get married!"

"N-Nyet…Natalia. D-don't you remember what I taught you…," Natalia held a pout. "But I love big brother."

"B-But we're siblings! A-and your love is different from my love…"

Lan Mei stared in shock at the display yet she managed to force out a sweet smile. "…u-um?"

The Russian turned to her with an awkward smile as he struggled to pry his sister's grip on him as she repeatedly said, "Marry me."

"…M-My sister…she's very affectionate towards me," Lan Mei nodded slowly in understanding as thoughts of Yong Soo filled her head, the only difference was that he didn't want to marry her! "A-aigoo…I-I didn't mean to cause a misunderstanding da-ze. B-but I don't "claim him" a-as mine…w-we're just friends."

Lan Mei felt warmth travel her cheeks, 'S-such embarrassing words…' Natalia narrowed her eyes in an untrusting way at Lan Mei and slowly nodded, "If you say so…" Yet her words did not dismiss the fact that she would be keeping an eye on her.

The Russian stared silently in Lan Mei's direction and instantly Lan Mei read his mind. "N-Natalia, are you busy t-today…?"

Natalia still clung tightly to her brother, "Da, whatever big brother does I do."

"N-Nyet…!"

Lan Mei chuckled weakly, 'I couldn't help him… there's no way she would leave his side. Since her activities…' Lan Mei thought for a moment as she seemed to remember her own activities, "…clubs have started and… t-the president…!"

Lan Mei quickly dashed off but froze and turned to Ivan with a sheepish smile. "U-um…d-do you want to…come with me da-ze…?" Ivan felt heat rise to his head like steam from a tea kettle. For the first time he was being invited to partake in an activity by a friend. It was even an activity that didn't involve his usual job of killing and whatnot. Quietly, he nodded and followed after her with Natalia still holding tightly on his arm. Lan Mei giggled nervously as she tried to think of conversation. It was going to be an interesting day at club today.

* * *

 **AN: Fiore here. Looks like Lan Mei is seen as a rival in Natalia's love for her brother... It's sort of okay...? o3o Also, there's a new antagonist, Hong Kong. Again, I apologize about Hong Kong and Prussia getting antagonist roles. I mean no harm to them xD... I just feel that this wouldn't be much of a hetalia fanfic with a lack of actual hetalia characters. Anyway, hoped you liked this chapter and thank you for those of you who fav or follow my story, I'm glad to see that this story is somewhat interesting for others. Please fav, follow and review, it really means a lot ^^!**


	6. Chapter 6

The Korean student bowed her head towards her Japanese friend, "Mianhae…I was caught in some trouble…"

Kiku sighed as a small smile formed on his face; she gave a pat on her head. "You don't have to apologize, Lan."

Lan Mei looked up, "B-but…"

"It's fine, you can't control what happens." Mei stated as she walked over. She pulled the girl in a motherly hug, "Lan~ I see you brought new members."

She leaned into her ear whispering, "And one of them is a boy~."

Lan Mei flushed at what Mei was thinking, it seemed she had been doing this for most of her life now. "M-Mei…! I-It's not like that!" Mei chuckled and patted her head, "Okay~, Okay. Whatever you say, Lan~." She looked over to Ivan and then at Natalia who clung on his arm. 'Ah never mind he seems to be taken. …He and Lan would have been cuter together though~.'

Kiku began to clear his throat as he walked up to Ivan and Natalia. 'S-so tall…' the Japanese thought as he suppressed his nervousness. "K-Konichiwa…this is the Anime and Manga club. I'm the president, Honda Kiku." He bowed slightly with a smile.

"Privet~ I'm Ivan Braginski. I'm Lan Mei's friend. This is my sister Natalia." He paused for a moment hoping for her to speak but she remained quiet as she continued to cling onto him, "…I think I saw you in homeroom, you're friends with Lan Mei too, da?"

"H-Hai, a-ah…now that I think about it…" he felt beads of perspiration slide down his face, 'H-he was the student who glared at Yao-san for most of the time…'

"I-It's a pleasure to meet you I-Ivan-san. Natalia-san I-I hope you enjoy what our club has to offer…!"

Ivan beamed happily, "Da~."

With that the Japanese fearfully began to walk away. Lan Mei sighed at the scene, 'A-aigoo…he forgot to show them around…'

The Korean decided she should at the very least try to show them around yet Natalia seemed to hate her…

"U-Um…I'll show you guys around…," She shyly stated . Ivan turned his head displaying a smile, "Ufufu~ it's fine. Whatever you want to do I'll follow."

Lan Mei nodded hesitantly, "I-I'll still show you around…"

Natalia narrowed her eyes, studying Lan Mei. 'This is the girl big brother is supposed to guard…? She seems weak, and boring. She doesn't even look pretty…' she glared daggers at the South Korean from behind, 'yet why must big brother give his attention to her?!'

"U-um…over there is where art classes are held…for people who want to learn how to draw anime and how they can animate." Lan Mei pointed to the right towards one of the tables with several students. "The table next to them is for people who want to learn how to draw manga pages and such…usually Kiku is there da-ze."

She turned and pointed to the left, "Over there is the gaming section, for gamers and such." She held a spark of cheerfulness when she talked about this area and Ivan chuckled, "We can go there if you want to, da?"

The Korean giggled nervously as she exited her trance, "Ah, mianhae… its fine da-ze… I want you to enjoy yourself, so—."

"If you enjoy yourself then I will too, Lan." Such words only made Lan Mei feel a tingling feeling in her heart. Never had someone told her that… so it made her anxious by the meaning the Russian was trying to send to her, "E-Eh…?"

He chuckled nervously wondering if what he said was bizarre, "…I-It's because we're friends, da? Friends have fun when everyone in the group is having fun…!"

The Korean nodded hesitantly, "D-Dae…" She hoped that this was the meaning he was sending to her. If it was something else…she wouldn't know how to react. But just to be sure she had turned to Natalia. The intensity of her glares only increased, 'She's misunderstanding our relation even more…!'

"…U-um…w-we should just—."

Before she could say anything the Russian grabbed her arm and tugged her forward to the area she spoke of. With a warm smile he stopped in front of several machines. Lan Mei quickly inspected the contraption and immediately felt a nostalgic smile form on her lips, "A-ah…this game."

Ivan cocked his head to the side with curiosity in his violet eyes, "This game…?"

"It's DDR…or "Dance-Dance-Revolution". It's a game that involves movement with your legs…on the screen depending on the song you choose a pattern of arrows will be shown and you have to match the arrows by stepping on these." She pointed at the four arrows on the stage.

The Russian nodded in amazement, "Ufufu~ this sounds interesting. Want to play…?"

Again Lan Mei turned to Natalia, "A-aigoo, I think it would be better if you play with your sister da-ze…"

"Nyet, I want to play with you, Lan."

Lan Mei sighed weakly, 'If only there were three platforms…' The Korean shook her head, "I-I'll play the next round, you and Natalia should play first."

"But…," he sadly started.

"Big brother let's play," Natalia said with hopeful blue eyes.

Ivan sighed as he smiled weakly. As much as he loved his sister he was hoping to play with Lan Mei first since he had always played with Natalia when he was younger. However, he had only recently met Lan Mei, a girl who showed kindness to him unlike many others. It was understandable that he would want to have fun together in a game. "Da…," Lan Mei held a smile as she pulled up a chair to sit down and watch. The Russian nervously looked over to Lan Mei wondering how to work the machine. "J-just choose a song," she paused forgetting about the bars. "W-when you play you hold on this if you want to…"

Natalia growled lowly towards Lan Mei, the South Korean sighed nervously as she backed off quietly.

Both Natalia and Ivan looked over the songs until they found themselves in agreement. (Random songs that aren't even in DDR so why not~.) The song they chose was "Starving Trancer" by SW (DJ UTO REMIX) feat. Mayu, it was a simple techno sort of song with some English and Japanese lyrics, which was common for DDR (is it xD?). The two pressed arrows competitively. Though Ivan was somewhat uninterested by the game, he really wanted to play against Lan Mei. Yet Ivan still played his best since Lan Mei was watching.

Lan Mei held a smile as she moved her head cutely to the rhythm of the song, cheering for Ivan. Her eyes were focusing on how the Russian did; to her surprise he was very good at this game for his first time. She felt joy at this fact, 'I can't wait to play against him.'

Natalia played well as well though missed some arrows due to going too fast. She wasn't following the tempo she was just focusing on stepping on the arrows. 'Arghh this is so stupid…! The machine must be broken,' Natalia thought as she continued to step on the arrows. The force she applies to stepping on the arrows made the South Korean think she might actually break the machine…

Lan Mei was going to say something until she felt a hand touch her shoulder. She flinched at the touch and quickly looked up to meet the person in the eye. It was her brother Yong Soo. He wore a grand grin as he chuckled at her tenseness. "Aigoo, did I scare you Lan Mei?"

Lan Mei puffed her cheeks as she playfully scowled at the elder, "Oppah…"

She had almost forgotten that Yong Soo was in the same club as her so it wasn't strange to see him here. Though, Yong Soo usually spent time around Song Yi or the obnoxious American named Alfred from his free period.

"Mianhae Lan~, anyway someone's here to see you."

Her eyes held confusion and slight surprise, "Someone's here to see me…? Is it a friend?"

"Dae~."

"Girl or boy…?" She had to ask to prepare herself for possible embarrassment (if it was a guy).

"Aish…just come on da-ze."

Lan Mei sighed as she got up. She took her last glances at Ivan for a moment before walking away with Yong Soo. Yong Soo yawned tiredly as he stretched his arms purposely taping Lan Mei on the shoulder. She turned the other direction in surprise but turned back seeing that another person did not tap her. "Aigoo, Yong Soo, quit it da-ze," she giggled. The elder held a pout as he rolled his eyes. "Lan, oppah feels very tense lately~ do you know why da-ze?"

"…why?" she raised a brow as a small smile formed on her face. He lightly "tackled" her in a hug, fortunately not knocking her to the ground. "It's because all these new boys are crowding around my little hwa (flower) da-ze~. If you have a boyfriend just say it! Just stop meeting new boys' aigoo!"

The South Korean girl changed from her usual fair complexion to a vibrant red color as she remained in his arms. 'H-huh, what is he saying!? O-Oppah is crazy aigoo… m-me having a b-b-boyfriend? A-ani! Ani, ani, ani!'

Yong Soo started to dramatically cry out her name as fake tears slid down his eyes, he got on his knees hugging her waist like a clingy husband, "H-how could my little hwa do this to me…? Where did I go wrong in raising you…?"

The Korean girl felt her face flush from anger and embarrassment. "O-oppah…! C-cut it out, t-this isn't a k-drama! There are no boys falling for me, they are simply friends!"

The Korean boy simply continued on. "Friends can turn into boyfriends if you're not too careful! My hwa~, my innocent little hwa~! As much as you read in the mangas you'll never understand the concept of love~!" She sighed in annoyance as she started to walk in the direction they were originally going to, slowly dragging the tall Korean male with her with each step.

'S-so heavy…!' she panted from the struggle and without realizing it she had bumped into someone. The soft collision of her face into the stranger's chest was enough to make her stop and feel the new warmth. She raised her head hesitantly and found herself glancing at a familiar face. A Chinese male with black hair tied in a neat ponytail.

"Y-you…," Lan Mei tensed anxiously.

"A-aiya, what expression is that aru?" The Chinese teen stated with a pout. Lan Mei giggled half-heartedly and bowed slightly, "Mianhae…I-I just…" Her memories of Art class seemed to halt her words. Yao realized what she was thinking based on her flaming red cheeks and he quickly averted his gaze so he can try to think of what to say to ease the situation. "I-I-It's not like that aru! T-That wasn't y-you! I-It's another girl!"

"A-Another girl…?"

"Y-Yeah…"

He paused for a moment before exclaiming his excuse even further, "F-From my manga aru! S-she's the heroine! I-I take pride in her aru…"

Lan Mei widens her eyes when hearing this, a sparkle in each. "W-Woah! A-A manga da-ze? C-Can I read?" She widely smiled towards Yao. She was clearly excited by this which made Yao feel contentment. Yet now he had to make up a manga for her… However, the idea didn't bother him in the slightest bit. "Y-yeah…when I finish okay? A-Anyway…the reason I came here aru…" He turned to Yong Soo with serious eyes. His eyes told him to leave yet the Korean didn't move. "If you have something to say then say it to both of us da-ze."

"Oppah…leave," her voice hinted that she was embarrassed by his presence and that she wished for privacy when talking to Yao.

Yong Soo began to protest but noticed the insistence in her eyes. "Fine…I'm going to bother Kiku~, take care of my sister da-ze." He walked away leaving the two alone. Lan Mei sighed motioning him to follow her to an empty table in the club room. She breathed a nervous sigh and formed a small smile. "What did you want to tell me?"

"Mei told me what happened…," he started almost immediately. Knowing where the conversation was heading; Lan Mei instantly felt discomfort in this topic, "I-I see…"

"Lan, I'm sorry…because of me—."

"It is fine, Yao… J-just let's not talk about this anymore." She heard footsteps and saw Ivan walking over. "Lan, let's play," Natalia followed behind, her expression the same as before. Lan Mei simply ignored it the best she could yet she had to admit that the Belarusian had an intense stare… Lan Mei remembered she was going to play the Russian in DDR and quickly got up. A competitive smirk played on her lips as she followed him, "D-dae!"

Ivan looked forward to playing with her, for he had a childish aspect for games just as Lan Mei did. Though the games he usually enjoyed were far different from hers… Yao hesitantly followed with curiosity on his face and the Russian glanced over to Yao as he did the same with Ivan. They shared a stare of hateful rivalry with forced smiles and it was as if they read each others minds that they both craved for the South Korean's attention. This fact was what Lan Mei did not know. The group walked over to the machines and quickly Lan Mei got up on the stage feeling excitement. "What song da-ze?"

"Ufufu~ Anything, I don't mind." The Korean puffed her cheeks as she stared at Ivan, 'But that wouldn't be fair…'

"…what about this then?" She landed on a soundtrack called "There's Supposed to Be a Cheat Code for Happiness" by Yuzuki Yukari.

Ivan gave a nod and the two began to get ready. As arrows appeared on the screen the two hit them when needed to. There were parts when not a lot of effort was needed but then when there were moments where the two had to move quickly and get the arrows on time. As Lan Mei played a smile formed on her face. The song soon ended after 4 minutes or so…

Both teens panted slightly at the amount of footwork done. "W-well…that was fun da-ze." Lan Mei breathed out. She looked over to the score seeing that she beat Ivan…by one point. She brightened at this, "Woah, you did great, Ivan! Is this your first time playing?"

"D-da," he smiled as he walked off the stage, he felt warmth from her praise. The South Korean girl did the same but was immediately praised by Yao who stood amazed. "Aiya, you were so cool aru! T-The way you moved…" he blushed slightly as he seemed to hide his astonishment, "…y-you were great aru."

Lan Mei giggled accepting his praise. She already had figured out Yao to be a prideful person just as she was when it came to admitting things. And he was also the type to easily get embarrassed like she was.

Lan Mei sat down on a seat next to Yao as Natalia constantly gave praises to Ivan who nodded in response. Ivan sighed raising his bangs from his forehead; he was feeling hot after moving so much. It was both a joy and discomfort since he did not favor the cold feeling he would always have yet at the same also disliked the unbearable heat…

When Lan Mei glanced over to ask if he was okay, she almost felt herself fall over in surprise. At the sight of Ivan bringing his hair back Lan Mei felt herself lost in thought for a moment. In her mind she couldn't believe her thoughts but for a split second she had thoughts of how attractive he looked with such actions. She dismissed the thoughts almost immediately keeping her brother's words in mind, _"Friends can turn into boyfriends if you're not too careful"_ so she concluded that she just had to be careful and avoid such thoughts at all cost… The South Korean averted her eyes over to Yao who looked eagerly towards the machines with a childish expression, 'I want to try…' At this sight her previous thoughts had left her. 'He's just like Yong Soo,' she giggled.

The South Korean began poking the Chinese's cheek as an act to get his attention. Immediately his eyes were glued to her. "Do you want to play…?"

He easily agreed to the idea.

"Okay then, come on let's play."

The Chinese teen was now nervous and Lan Mei noticed. She held a smirk as she pulled her friend along. By the scene Ivan felt a weird unpleasant feeling in his chest. It was as if his insides were twisting. He tried to ignore it but the more he looked at the two brought more of this unwanted feeling.

Lan Mei paused for a moment wondering if Yao could handle freestyle DDR. Freestyle DDR was when the players didn't have to focus entirely on score; they simply had to perform stylish moves while following the arrows. "Let's try freestyle dance da-ze~."

"…F-Freestyle…?"

"We have to follow the arrows but let's have fun and make our own dance moves da-ze~. I'm sure it'll be fun for you." The Chinese teen nodded slightly following her. Lan Mei let him choose the song. Yao paused on a familiar song he saw Kiku dance to once in their dorm.

The song was called "Hybrid" by Kradness. Lan Mei knew this song and remembered some dance moves to this song. "Yao do you know the dance to this…?"

"Yeah, I somewhat remember aru." He chuckled, "Kiku was dancing to this once; I only saw him by chance when I got home from work aru."

The South Korean girl nodded and took her place with a smile, "Follow me If you forget da-ze~."

He nodded smiling back. The song began and immediately they turn their backs to each other. As the music progressed more in the beginning they started to do small movements until they broke into the rhythm. They glanced towards each other, moving their arms and legs, stepping on the arrows that appeared on the screen. The two moved perfectly and just as Lan Mei told Yao; he glanced over following what she did when he couldn't remember the step.

There were several mistakes yet the two didn't seem to care since they were having fun. Their fun seemed to attract the rest of the members of club. Soon a crowd of people gathered curiously around them, cheering for Lan Mei and Yao. "Way the go Lan! You can do it!"

"Whoa, they're on fire…!"

"Work it girls!" Lan Mei had to suppress a laugh when they mistook Yao for a girl. She glanced over to Yao who had a flushed face yet continued to dance. It was nearing the end of the song and Lan Mei smiled, "Yao time to switch places, you go to my side and I go to yours." Yao nodded hesitantly as they made an exchange to different sides. The two danced several moves before finishing in a final pose. The song ended and everyone cheered. Lan Mei had thanked the people who had complimented her and tried to squeeze out of the crowd with Yao who exclaimed he was a boy, not a girl. Lan Mei looked over trying to find Ivan. "I-Ivan…?" He was nowhere to be found. Neither was Natalia. She stood still for a moment until she felt arms wrap around her suddenly. "Da?" Lan Mei was startled to see the Russian teen around her, "I-Ivan…?"

He smiled blankly at her for a moment and then looked over to Yao who was surprised to see him suddenly. 'H-How did he…I was standing right next to her.' Yao thought in horror, 'How did he appear so quickly…?'

The Russian as if reading his thoughts chuckled, "Are you okay Yao-Yao, you look pale~."

Yao felt beads of sweat slide down his face as he stared up at the tall teen. "I'm fine…where did you go anyway, Lan was looking for you aru…"

Still holding onto Lan Mei he lifted a plastic bag filled with snacks and drinks. "Ufufu~ I thought that both of you would enjoy something to have after you play."

Lan Mei smiled under his hold as she spoke in a sheepish voice, "T-thank you da-ze."

He smiled back and hesitantly let go of her. He reached into the bag and handed her a drink and a bag of chips.

She thanked him again and Ivan turned to Yao. Yao forced a smile, "N-No thank you, I'm fine aru."

Ivan shrugged and put away the rest of the snacks. He focused his gaze on Lan Mei who struggled to open the drink since the cap was tightly sealed on the bottle. It was such a silly situation yet amusing for the Russian and Chinese teens.'Aigoo, I hate when they do this…!'

She began to turn red as her anger seemed to increase which made Ivan and Yao fall completely under her spell. Both thought of her to be adorable. "Let me help." They stated in unison. This resulted in another stare down between the two. Lan Mei realized the conflict and thought it would be better to handle it herself rather than showing preference between the two. "I-It's fine… I can do this da-ze." She tried to open it again only to remain unsuccessful. "Ufufu~ I can open it for you, Lan." Ivan stated first. Yao glared at him, "Aiya, you've done enough aru. Give me a chance to help."

"Nyet~, you shouldn't trouble yourself, da~. Let me do it."

"Give it up aru! Stop trying to act kind!"

"I'm not acting—."

"Yes you are!"

Lan Mei nervously looked at the two as she tried to stop them from fighting. "T-There's no need to fight da-ze…It's just a water bottle. U-um…I-I'll just ask Mei to open it da-ze."

Both teens remained quiet as they looked towards the short Korean who began to walk away in search of Mei.

They took the opportunity to glare at each other. "What's your problem aru?!"

"Ufufu~ I would like to know the same thing."

"Aiya you're so annoying…"

The Russian chuckled at his words, "Yao…why are you following around Lan?"

Yao was silent as he narrowed his eyes towards Ivan. "Ufufu~ I'm just curious."

Yao sighed in annoyance as he stared toward the ground, "She's my friend aru." "How long…have you known her?"

Yao shot his head up getting cautious of his questions, "T-That's none of your concern aru! Just…stop bothering her aru! S-she's dealt with enough problems…"

' _Comrade_ …I can't even if I wanted to,' Ivan sighed pulling up a chair. He had a job and to be honest he had no feelings of hate towards her. Lan Mei was a kind and innocent girl who he felt happy to be around because, unlike others, she wasn't intimidated by his appearance.

The Russian sat down and began to drink his own bottle of water. Yao felt the need of a drink as well but he was too prideful to ask Ivan for a drink. However, Ivan read his thoughts easily and threw a bottle at him. Yao caught it by reflex. He turned his eyes with annoyance, 'I can't stand this guy…he's so…!'

"If you can't stand me, then just walk away, da?"

"Did you just—?"

"You're very easy to read…," The Chinese teen remained quiet as he tried to calm himself. He muttered curses in mandarin hoping to calm down after releasing some of his anger. Ivan wasn't going to let him regain his composure; he was somewhat upset that he took Lan Mei's attention for the time being. He was very childish when it came to this.

"Yao-Yao you didn't answer my question~. How long did you know Lan Mei? For me I just met her a few days ago, what about you?"

"…the same…"

"Da…? Speak up." He stated as he threw the empty bottle in a garbage bin. He made the shot perfectly. "…I met her a few days ago too aru…! N-Now can you leave me alone!"

The Russian rolled his eyes and glanced over to Lan Mei who walked in a trance. She didn't seem to notice them until the two called out to her. She weakly smiled; her eyes were slightly red…from crying.

This brought concern to the two as they ask what was wrong. Ivan was the first to notice that something was wrong. "What happened? …Lan, where's your hair pin?"

Yao noticed another factor about her, "W-why are you soaked aru…?"

She couldn't hide it from her friends as tears forced their way down her face. "Mei helped me open the bottle…e-even when she was so busy delivering files to the student council. I-I wanted to help as thanks for opening my water so I tagged along but…"

"B-but…?" Yao asked.

She weakly continued on as she wiped her tears, it didn't help since she was wet already. "M-Mei said she could handle it herself when w-we reached the front of the student council's office. S-So she waved me off and I was going to go back…" She paused, hesitant if she should continue her words, "Please tell us…" Ivan stated with serious eyes.

Lan Mei shook her head and began to walk away, "L-Let's forget about—" She felt two hands grab onto her. Ivan grabbed onto her left wrist and Yao grabbed onto her right. "Tell us aru." Lan Mei breathed a shaky sigh as she glanced at the two teens. Out of all the students in W. academy, Lan Mei had the luck of finding these two.

* * *

A few minutes before…

Lan Mei held a small smile walking the halls of the school. She was just about to go back to the club room after tagging along with Mei. 'I-I hope she's alright…the vice president is very flirtatious…,' constant worry about her friend filled her thoughts. It was shattered a moment later after the sudden sound of footsteps. She froze turning to her back seeing nothing. She sighed in relief; she began to walk again but was quickly attacked when she turned the corner. A sheet was brought over her blocking her vision of where she was going or who her attackers were. She felt extremely scared as she began to scream struggling from the group of attackers. She broke free for a moment but was quickly restrained. Judging by the brute strength of their touch the girl knew she was being attacked by a group of males. She didn't understand, 'What did I do to deserve this…?!'

She forced back her tears seeing how it was not the time to cry. For some reason her attackers didn't speak at all…

Lan Mei felt herself suddenly being thrown over someone's shoulder. She recognized the familiarity in the attacker's touch. "Y-You're the guy from before, aren't you!?"

The attacker was quiet for a moment until he broke into a small chuckle, "I see…so you are special after all, you don't even need to see my face to recognize me." He continued to walk the halls with his associates.

"Who are you…?"

He sighed, "Because I want to be nice I'll just say it once for you… I'm Xiang."

Lan Mei held a scowl through the sheets, "T-that's not…fair. There's a million Xiang's…" Xiang sighed pushing a door open, "If I tell you then I might have to kill you…"

"But you can't…? For some reason you're after me…why?"

Xiang remained silent for a moment before setting her down with no delicacy. Her body roughly hit the tiled floor. He pulled the sheet off her revealing a pained expression on her face as she forced back tears. She glared daggers at the Cantonese student. Yet her look wasn't as intimidating as Natalia's glare, it lacked bloodlust. "I asked what you wanted from me. P-Please answer…just…answer it da-ze."

"You're tired of this already…? The constant trouble?" He cracked a small smile brushing her cheek gently, "Even when it's only been four days…? Pathetic. My boss told me you were important, that you needed to be unlocked. But do you really…? You seem to be so useless, Im Lan Mei."

"You know me…?"

"Of course, it's my job." He got up and began to walk away. She weakly stood up with questioning eyes, "T-That's it…? A-After attacking me like that you're just going to leave…?!"

Her eyes widened as everything became a blur. In a single second the Cantonese stood close to her, a knife pointed at her back and neck. 'S-so quick….'

She felt beads of sweat slide down her face. One single move, one wrong word and maybe she could end up dead.

Xiang sighed cracking a smile, "You're no fun. I was joking of course. It may be my job to kill… yet specifically for you, Lan Mei. I'm not allowed to kill you. I'm just here to… _break_ you."

He placed away his knifes and began to walk away for real this time. The Korean didn't allow it. Now knowing she wouldn't be killed she stubbornly dashed forward knocking him down. Xiang glared at the girl as he quickly got up to his feet. "What drives you to do this? Don't you know who you're up against?"

Lan Mei got up quickly as a weak smirk played on her face, "Y-you got me angry that's what!" Again she charged after him trying to grab ahold of him. The Cantonese effortlessly dodged, "Maybe if you awakened you might be a challenge…" He grabbed her arms. The South Korean grunted in annoyance and tried to shake him off. She panted weakly at the struggle and decided to just kick him. The Cantonese just stared down at her useless attempts. He twisted her arm causing her to scream in pain. He let go when she bit him, causing him slight pain. Xiang pushed her forward and she fell into the water. He tried to grab her before she fell yet that was an unsuccessful attempt. They were currently in the school's pool. This fact made her wonder why he brought her here. He walked away hesitantly but froze for a second, 'don't tell me…that she can't…'

Xiang instantly jumped in to search for her. Just as he expected she couldn't swim. He took a hold of her and swam to the surface. He lifted her up on the tiled floor, and then got up himself. 'She's so useless…' She coughed out water and Xiang sighed looking closer to see if she was alright. She needed to be alive. She breathed calmly now which gave Xiang the signal that he should leave. Yet the girl held a tight grip on him, "Tell me now…what is it that you want from me."

Her grip was different from before. Xiang held slight surprise on his stoic face, "Oh, did you awaken?"

"Awaken this, awakened that, what do you mean by awaken?! You're getting me annoyed." The Cantonese rolled his eyes as he pried her hand off. She didn't give up. Xiang decided that he should just knock her out but ruled against it as he sent a painful punch to her arm. She let go focusing on the pain in her arm. In a swift moment he escaped leaving her alone. In her pain she was left in this silence to cry silent tears. But upon realizing that her hair wasn't tied up in a bun anymore made her curious whether he took her precious item. Xiang stole the precious item leaving her cold and weak, "U-Umma…"

Her mother's hair pin was gone and she definitely knew that Xiang had stolen it just to mess with her feelings.

* * *

 **AN: Hoped you liked this chapter. Just a final reminder that I only own Im Lan Mei and Wang Song Yi. Remi owns Wang Wei Xiang and my friend owns Elizabeth Jane Rose (not official name) and you can follow her rp page by searching for Elizabeth Jane Kirkland on Facebook. Hetalia is owned by Himaruya and North Korea is owned by Lo-wah. Thanks for reading and please fav, follow and review. It brings love and peace~ *insert gintama joke* xD.**


	7. Chapter 7

After the encounter of the boy named "Xiang" Lan Mei felt extremely depressed. Despite this she made an effort to attend her classes and go to work. If she remembered yesterday after club she made an effort to go to work with Yao. Ivan tagged along wanting to ensure her safety. Even though Yao stated that he was more than enough to take care of her. Luckily seeing the two males around her brought some cheer into her life. Yet her mother's hairpin, the only item she had to remember her mother… her real mother.

She sighed as she continued to wash the dishes. Her eyes glued on the water, 'When did he even take it…was it when I fell in the pool…? Maybe before…oh who cares I just want it back.'

"Damn jerk!" She unconsciously muttered angrily. Lien who stood next to her called out for Lan Mei's attention. "Lan, are you okay…? You seem to be in an awful mood as of yesterday evening…"

She paused clenching her fist in eagerness, "If it was Yao I won't hesitate to knock some sense into him!"

Lan Mei shook her head frantically holding Lien back as she tried to attack Yao. "I-It wasn't Yao…! I-It wasn't…!"

Lan Mei yelped in pain feeling her right arm throb in pain. Her dominant arm…out of all the arms the Cantonese assassin had to injure it. She let her hold fade from holding back Lien. She didn't need to anymore since Lien brought her attention to her friend. "L-Lan, are you alright…?"

"D-Dae…I'm fine. J-just don't blame Yao…he wasn't the one."

Yao sighed dropping everything as he walked over to Lan Mei. He gently took her right arm and carefully rolled up her sleeve. He tried to not cause her too much pain. Lan Mei bit her lip suppressing the pain she was able to feel. She already knew what her arm looked like but still wanted to take another glance at it before the Chinese teen began to question her. Yao eyes widened at the sight of her arm, it was bruised badly. "What…? Lan Mei your arm aru... H-How did this happen…?"

Lan Mei remained quiet as she avoided his stare. Yesterday when she explained to Ivan and Yao she left out many facts. Mainly about the Cantonese teen that attacked her. She thought that they wouldn't believe she was being targeted by an assassin. Lan Mei told the two that she was just bullied like usual and that she didn't know her attacker because she was blinded by a sheet. It was somewhat true…she didn't know who Xiang was exactly. But one thing she made sure to leave out was her arm injury.

"Lan Mei…"

"Yao, I'm fine da-ze. Let's get back to work." She pulled her arm away focusing on her workload. Yao pouted in dismay. He wanted to help her yet Lien reassured him. "Don't worry, I'm here for her too, Yao."

Yao nodded smiling slightly at his Vietnamese friend, he was reassured by this but still wanted to help her in a way he could. He sighed staring at the South Korean teen for a moment before getting back to cooking up orders. 'I really want to help her…'

* * *

Ivan sat alone at one of the tables of the café. He wasn't kicked out after staying for hours since he ordered food while he waited. All they cared was that they made money…

'This shop closes at 7pm…so that means…' He glanced at his watch. 6:30pm. He only had to wait 30 more minutes. This made the Russian allow a tired breath escape his lips, he was bored. 'At least I can work for once… it's difficult keeping her safe with all these obstacles.' His thoughts came across Yao for instance. With the Chinese teen being around it would be difficult to work. He already had the teen shocked when he did that little stunt in front of the two. If only he wasn't so childish…yet he couldn't help it, Yao infuriated him extremely. Luckily he didn't show it too much…

The sudden ding of his phone signaled him that he got a new text message. It was Hyun Soo.

 **I found some information just like you asked me too. Apparently Lan Mei was attacked by this guy… -Hyun Soo**

A picture was sent as an attachment.

Ivan opened the file and his eyes slightly widened. "So it was him…" He began to type quickly on the screen.

Can you research this guy? I want to know who he works for, and basic information.

He chuckled for a moment, "Now that I realize it I don't even know his name… and we're in the same homeroom too."

A few seconds later a reply was received.

 **His name is apparently Xiang Gang Kirkland. He's an adopted brother of the school prez…wow…I didn't expect this. …Well…as for his boss this might be difficult to find…hold up. =3= -Hyun Soo**

Da. ^^

A few minutes passed leaving the Russian impatient. As soon as the phone made a sound Ivan immediately picked up the phone.

 **No luck… apparently this kid is really pro. He jumps from organization to organization and does every mission perfectly, no matter the job. –Hyun Soo**

Ivan paused at this fact, a smirk playing on his face. 'Oh really…he didn't look that great the first time we met.'

I don't believe it. Are you sure you're confusing your information with someone else…?

A text immediately replied to this.

 **You doubt me?! My information is high quality! The best out of the all the info broker's in the world! Why do you think people offer me a shit load of money, Ivan!? =_=")/ -Hyun Soo**

Ivan had to laugh at the anger Hyun Soo showed to him.

Ah…Sorry. I encountered him quite a few times…well; he wasn't really the same as you described him…

 **Yeah…I can see that (apparently Lan Mei gave him a hard time lol). But it says it right here. Maybe you're better than him…? ;D –Hyun Soo**

Ivan thought for a moment, 'Or…'

He's trying to trick me.

 **What do you mean o.O? –Hyun Soo**

He's planning to lower my guard…it seems like I've underestimated him.

'I should've killed him when I had the chance,' The Russian thought angrily.

"Um excuse me, we're about to close…," a random worker informed Ivan. Ivan blankly smiled, "Ufufu~ sorry. I'll be leaving then." He left the money on the table and began to walk out. He froze momentarily, "Can you tell Im Lan Mei that I'll be waiting for her outside, da?"

The worker nodded nervously, obviously overwhelmed by the teen's height.

Ivan could tell that they wanted him gone. He exited the shop waiting near the bike rack. He glanced over to his watch, 6:45 pm.

The Russian sighed, he wished life was easier. Now he had to deal with Yao…

* * *

Lan Mei didn't know what to do… she never knew that simple decisions could be so hard.

"Back off, I'm going to take her home aru! She's my sister's friend; I should at least take her home!" Yao stated with a scowl meant entirely for the Russian.

Ivan rolled his eyes, "Then shouldn't you ride back with your sister. I think Lan would prefer to go home on my motorcycle…"

"Aiya, it's too dangerous aru! What if you and Lan get into an accident?!"

"Ufufu~ that won't happen."

"You'll never know. She needs to be safe aru! A bike is safe, so that's why she's coming with me!"

"S-Stop aigoo…!" The two teens glanced over to Lan Mei who held a flushed face. She breathed a shaky sigh. "I-I'm going to take the bus with Mei and Kiku…"

They remained silent for a moment until they broke into a small smile.

"Ufufu~ of course…get back safely then Lan..."

"Yeah, be careful aru…make sure you take care of that arm." Lan Mei nodded glancing to her right arm, 'It stopped hurting, for now…' Ivan held confusion in his eyes yet dismissed what he just heard.

Silence was set upon the three; it was obvious that both males were disappointed.

Lan Mei nodded breaking the silence, "M-Mianhae…see you two tomorrow…?"

Yao and Ivan exclaimed a yes at her words making her giggle for a final time before walking off with Mei and Kiku.

The two males sighed now finding themselves alone with each other.

Yao began to unlock his bike lock with fidgety hands, 'Of all people it has to be this guy that I'm left alone with…'

Ivan sent a small scowl, "I feel the same way with you…"

Yao snapped his head back, "What did you say to me?! I dare you to say it again aru!"

Ivan rolled his eyes getting on his motorcycle.

"I asked you a question aru!" the Chinese male grabbed his arm which annoyed the Russian greatly.

A dark aura surrounded him yet Yao wasn't scared, "Yao-Yao I don't have to answer it though~. One more thing…" A roar escaped the vehicle causing the Chinese teen to step back in fear, letting go of Ivan. "…Don't ever touch me again, got it?"

Yao growled in anger as he muttered some curses in mandarin.

The Russian began to chuckle, "Wǒ míngbái nǐ zài shuō shénme.(I understand what you're saying)"

Yao eyes widened in shock and Ivan sent a smile before he drove away. He quickly ignored his thoughts about Yao. Instead he focused on the Cantonese male after Lan Mei. 'I doubt that guy would attack her when other innocent people are around…yet, I can't be too careless.'

He was also impatient about learning more about him and his motives.

* * *

 **AN: Plot twist, Ivan is secretly chinese~ xD. Just kidding, but he does know chinese. So yeah, thank you for reading. Please fav, follow and review~! -Fiore**


	8. Chapter 8

The Cantonese teen was hesitant to walk into his room… like always he had to wait a moment before opening the door with the dorm key. 'That idiot better not be there…,' the moment he opened the door he was met with a certain South Korean boy. He wore casual clothing as he focused on playing with his game system. He paused the game at the sound of Xiang's footsteps.

"Annyo roomie~. Woah…what happened to you?"

Xiang remained quiet as he walked towards the drawer to get out new pairs of clothes. He just eliminated several people who witnessed Xiang attack Lan Mei. All while placing the blame on one of the targets, yet the bastard manage to put up a struggle causing him to look tired. "Don't talk to me…," he stated with his usual monotonous voice.

His roommate held a pout, "Xiang why do you have to be so cruel to me~."

"...Yong Soo, I mean it."

Yong Soo sighed as he shut the game off completely. "Come on~~ tell me da-ze! Aren't we friends?"

"From day one I said we are **not** friends."

Yong Soo sighed, "Aigoo…learn to open up; I just want to be your friend…"

'I can't have any friends…' Xiang walked into the bathroom and began to get changed. He took a quick shower first then he got dressed. He exited the bathroom feeling slightly relaxed until Yong Soo tackled him in a hug. "Come on tell me da-ze! Tell me, tell me!"

Xiang glared daggers at Yong Soo, a small blush crept over his face yet he tried to suppress it, "G-get off…!"

He was starting to get annoyed by Yong Soo.

"Aigoo, it was just a hug da-ze…," he chuckled as he walked away. Xiang rolled his eyes hitting him with his towel, "Don't ever touch me again."

Yong Soo jumped at the contacted of the towel and smirked, "You did not just—"

Xiang cracked a smirk as he threw a pillow at the South Korean teen's face, "I did."

"That's it; you're going down da-ze!" He grabbed a pillow and began to swing it around.

Xiang was unamused by his roommate. 'Ha, if his sister was weak then I can imagine him being weak too. I'll beat him easily, and then he can shut up for once.'

Yong Soo began to charge and Xiang dodged swiftly pinning the guy to the ground. He tightly locked him in a hold; his arm was brought to his back. "U-U-Uncle…! I call uncle, let me go aigoo…!"

Xiang rolled his eyes, "I won't let go until you promise to shut up and leave me alone. Seriously I hope they change me to a new room soon."

Yong Soo held a sad smile, "M-Mianhae…I-I didn't know I was being such a bother to you…"

"Well you should, constantly being in the same room with you…, I can't concentrate at all."

'Meanwhile you're sister seems to be the opposite. She's just weak…'

"I-I promise to leave you alone…"

Xiang let go, "Don't go back on that promise then." He walked over to his bed and began to rest. Closing his eyes he found sleep as he began to think. His peace was ended when his phone rang.

He picked up the phone and immediately heard his brother speak, **Good evening Xiang.**

"Good evening…what seems to be the problem?"

 **N-nothing…I was just calling…**

Xiang began to count mentally at what he would say next, 3…2…1.

 **I-It's not like I-I was worried for you o-or anything…!**

"Gege…, I get it. You don't have to hide it."

 **H-Hide what…?**

Xiang sighed, "…are you doing well? I heard you got a sudden room change."

 **Yeah…I'm fine. I just bloody wish it wasn't with this burger manic named Alfred.**

Xiang remained quiet for a moment at the sound of paper sliding from below the door, "Gege, I have to go..."

 **Ah I-I see…Good bye. O-oh and Xiang…?**

Xiang sighed, "Yes Gege?"

 **Don't work too hard…**

"Yeah, I know. Bye," with that he hung up and walked over to Yong Soo taking the paper away from him. "Don't touch.'

Yong Soo looked at him with confused eyes, "What's that… "The organization" what is that for aigoo…?"

"It's an honor program now shush. Remember you promised…"

Yong Soo immediately stood quiet earning a small smile from Xiang.

'Well he's obedient…,' The Cantonese began to open the paper and read it.

When he was done he shredded the piece of paper so no one would be able to read it. Yong Soo was deeply confused by this but did not question any more.

'Xiang is so mysterious…'

* * *

Ivan looked over Hyun Soo as he typed quickly on the laptop. So far the North Korean found many links about the boy named Xiang.

"Yeah…all I can find is basic information like name, age, stuff like that. Yet I can't find who he works for. Damn it, this bastard is good…."

Ivan sighed, "Da…" The Russian was getting nervous. He began to pace around the room thinking of what he should do now.

"Ivan, are you going to try to…?"

"What are you thinking, Hyun Soo?"

Hyun Soo raised a hand to his aching forehead, "Well…during this time of the year, a series of events are being planned for the students. You know… parties, school trips; stuff like that."

Ivan smirked catching his plan, "Ufufu~ I see. Maybe that could work but…"

"I know, I know. You have to be with Lan Mei at all times? …Because Xiang isn't the only target, dae?"

"Mhmm~," the North Korean banged his head on the table angrily, "Damn this shit to hell; he's pissing me off…!"

"Give up; I doubt we'll find any more information on him."

"Me..? Give up?! This isn't homework, this is my job! I can easily give up homework. Half that crap isn't even used in my life aish… but my job. Ani…I can't let this go."

Ivan chuckled, "You're such a workaholic…" Hyun Soo clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Shouldn't you start planning; I think you've noticed that what you're doing currently is not enough."

Ivan nodded, "Da, I know~." He cracked a smirk, "I'm just wondering if you'll be fine on your own."

Hyun Soo raised a brow, "What do you mean…?"

Ivan revealed an indifferent smile on his lips, "Room changes will be made soon, da?"

Hyun Soo turned white as a ghost, "Ani…you're not planning to…? Ivan you're such a sly bastard!"

"Ufufu~ I'll take that as a compliment."

The two males began to get to work for the future. Things were only just beginning.

* * *

 **AN: Hello, Fiore here with another chapter released on the same day xD~. So here's a look on Xiang's pov and more stuff will be done soon with the main trio (and possible stuff with side characters). Hope this story isn't confusing anyone. Thanks for reading and please fav, follow and review~! It's greatly appreciated o3o/~.**


	9. Chapter 9

Throughout the week of school several things had happened causing complete chaos in the school. Apparently a crime was committed by someone causing a chaotic frenzy amongst each class. Gossip traveled fast and some teachers had to change their lessons up due to the crime scene being investigated in the school's lab room. One of said classes was Lan Mei's science class. Classes were being held outside for now, and because they were investigating in the classroom the students fell behind in their lessons. As a result of this problem the teacher decided to assign a project.

"Alright class, I'm going to assign a major project to make up for the days we wasted due to the incident. Everyone will get into a group of two, each group will decide a topic based of the environment." The teacher started to hand out papers which showed ideas of what each group could do and what the teacher expected.

Lan Mei looked over thinking she should work with her friend Mei yet Kiku beat her to it. 'Aish, he beat me to Mei…!'

Then there was Wei Xiang…yet she was already paired off with another student. The Korean crossed her arms as she puffed her cheeks in annoyance, 'Seriously…?!' That's when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to see Ivan. "Want to work together…?"

Lan Mei immediately smiled giving a nod, she felt a indescribable feeling from his touch but decided to ignore it. "D-Dae—"

"Lan Mei…!" Yao appeared from behind panting slightly, 'So many students yet they all stand still in one place aiya…'

He calmed his breathing and revealed a kind smile, "Want to work together aru?"

"She already said yes to me, right Lan?"

Lan Mei nodded, "M-Mianhae… but he did ask first."

Yao's eager smile changed into a disappointed one, "O-oh, I see…"

He hesitantly began to walk away in search of another partner but froze when the teacher announced a change. "Groups of 2-3 are accepted. It seems there are a lot more students so I'll accept groups of 3."

Yao turned back with a smirk, "It looks like we'll be working together after all aru."

Lan Mei smiled glad at the news, however Ivan was not, and he began to think angrily, 'Everywhere I go…'

'…It seems he follows…' Yao finished. The two were complete opposites and Lan Mei noticed. "U-um, are both of you going to be alright? T-This is a major project so…"

"Leave it to me, I have everything under control," they stated in unison. Lan Mei wasn't too sure about this though…

* * *

The South Korean girl looked over at the schedule the trio came up with. "So it seems we can only work on this together after school during club and in homeroom…" Lan Mei stated simply. "Ufufu~ we have the same free period though, Lan."

Lan Mei brightened up upon remembering such a fact, "Ah, I see! S-So Monday- Friday we can talk in homeroom…Period 5 I'll share ideas with Ivan and during club time I can speak to both of you again." She smiled at the plan, that way it wouldn't interfere with her work at all. However, Yao shook his head in disagreement, "I hardly attend club aru."

"E-Eh? Why?"

Yao flushed under her stare he didn't want anyone to know his economic status yet he had no choice but to tell the truth. "I have to work…"

"Dae, I know. We have the same job da-ze…!"

"No, I have to work at other places too aru. This is only 1 out of 3 jobs I have." Lan Mei mouth dropped slightly in shock. "So that's why…" She giggled nervously, "I found it weird that you sometimes left early or came later into work…"

Yao sighed feeling slightly embarrassed, "Yeah…now you know." Ivan weakly stared at Yao feeling slightly bored by Yao's conversation towards Lan Mei. "Lan, about the project…do you have an idea in mind…?"

Lan Mei shook her head, "Not yet, do you…?"

Ivan thought for a moment, "What about the effects of nuclear chemicals on the earth…?"

Yao rolled his eyes, "No, I disagree completely aru…! We should do something about air pollution..."

Lan Mei sighed, 'This is what I was worrying about...'

"…Both ideas sound good. So explain each and I'll decide…" However Lan Mei didn't want to be the one who decides. She always hated being caught in the middle like this.

The two male teens nodded in agreement and began explaining about their ideas. Yao went first.

"The written paper obviously follows the same criteria no matter what topic aru… So for my idea on the visual model I was thinking of doing something about stars."

"S-Stars..?"

"Yeah, you know um…people say that they used to see stars in the sky. But ever since pollution it's hard to see them aru. For this we can draw a poster…or make a 3-D model on how air pollution affected the physical qualities of the earth."

Lan Mei nodded intrigued by the idea yet felt it was a bit abstract and artistic for other students to understand. Ivan sweetly smiled, "Well I was thinking of making a 3-D model of a normal ecosystem and alongside it we make another 3-D model of an ecosystem exposed to nuclear waste. So they can compare da?" It was a straightforward approach, and easy to answer.

Lan Mei agreed to the idea, "D-Dae. That sounds like a good idea, right Yao…?"

Yao nodded hesitantly. The Chinese teen narrowed his stare on Ivan, "I guess… so who's doing what?"

Ivan thought for a moment, "Well… Yao you should write the paper and me and Lan will work together on the visual part."

"Aiya, that's not fair aru!" Yao was starting to get frustrated again, 'I absolutely hate written work …'

"U-Um…we could evenly split our work for the written assessment. As for the model we should work together da-ze."

"Da~. Now that we figured that out…," Ivan turned facing to the front of the line. Only one person was in front of him. "I'm curious… I don't understand how we coincidentally have the same classes for the majority of the day..."

'It just became clear to me…' Both Ivan and Yao thought.

Lan Mei nodded peaking from behind Yao, she held onto his shoulders on slight tip-toes. She felt annoyed to be so short, though it was fine since Kiku, Mei and she were about the same height. "D-Dae…I find it weird. Aigoo is that guy almost approaching; our team better win the relay da-ze." Right now the trio was in gym having a relay. Everyone was expected to try their hardest since the teacher was testing how well the class handled teamwork. Also, there was a prize for the winners.

"…I can't see… A-Aish I almost tripped. M-Mianhae Yao…"

Yao puffed his cheeks suppressing a red cloud over his face as Lan Mei leaned against him, 'A-A-Aiya…! I'm going to die; I'm seriously going to die…!'

Ivan chuckled feeling slightly jealous, "don't worry Lan. I'm sure we'll win."

Lan Mei had some doubt in her eyes. "I don't know…Hyun Soo looks like he can be really fast when he wants to…"

Ivan looked over to Hyun Soo who was smirking at Ivan with confidence. He turned back to Lan Mei, "Don't worry, I'll beat him."

"O-Oi, scarf-kun! Pay attention!"

Ivan turned his head to see his team member run towards him with baton ready in hand. Ivan held a blank smile with hidden confidence. "Y-You can do it Ivan, beat Hyun Soo da-ze~!"

Ivan felt warmth from her supportive words. In an instant the Russian grabbed the baton and began to run. From behind the South Korean cheered with a non-enthusiastic Yao.

Ivan had to suppress such warmth he had felt in his heart, however it wasn't so easy, 'This weird feeling…I don't understand.'

Hyun Soo glanced over to Ivan calling for his attention, "Yo~ focus. Your girl is watching~."

"N-Nyet…! It's not like that!" he immediately turned red as he kept up with Hyun Soo's pace. So far they were the only ones tied in the lead. "Time to beat you, Ivan."

Ivan cracked a smirk, "Not if I can help it…"

Hyun Soo lead 1st until Ivan stole his place yet it wasn't a final change until Hyun Soo passed by him, 'You don't know who you're dealing with...' the North Korean thought with a smirk. Both seemed to increase more and more in speed. Ivan glanced forward, finding his sights on Yao and Lan Mei. 'This bastard better win,' Ivan thought as he quickly handed Yao the baton. The Chinese boy started off slow but soon picked up speed, beating the other students in the race. "W-Wow, Yao is fast…," Lan Mei stared in awe. She soon realized it was her turn to finish for her team, that fact alone made her stiffen up. Her body began to freeze up when feeling the pressure.

Yao noticed this and began to call out her name, "Lan focus aru! You can do it just keep running straight!"

Lan Mei breathed a shaky breath readying herself, 'D-don't drop the baton…don't drop the…' quickly she received the baton in nervous hands fortunately not dropping it. Yao gave a supporting push setting her in motion. He held a smile as he panted heavily. Ivan sent him a smile for once, "You're fast; I'll give you that." He chuckled, "Only when I want to be aru."

'Da… me too.'

With all her strength she began to run forward, her focus was only on the track in front of her. Yet the more she looked ahead it became hazy. 'Come on…! Focus Lan Mei. If you can't do this then how do you expect to get your pin back,' at the memory of the pin she felt herself quicken in pace. A spark of confidence which contradicted her whole being suddenly formed in her eyes. She seemed to be a whole new person now. Lan Mei turned around now making the final lap back. Glancing around she saw that she was second; Mei was apparently in the lead. Lan Mei felt herself tense up at this and began to lag. Her best friend was a really good runner so her confidence was lost.

Yao and Ivan noticed this. "Lan, don't give up! Come on, go, go, go! You can do it!"

The two cheered. When Lan Mei saw the two she felt herself spark up in energy again, but stronger. In a blink of an eye she found herself running into their arms. Their eyes widened as did the whole class. Even the teacher was shocked; he blew the whistle, "Team 5 wins!"

Lan Mei fluttered her eyes in shock, "I-I did it…?"

"D-da…," Ivan couldn't believe it. He didn't know if anyone else noticed what he saw. But in his violet eyes he saw it all play out, her whole person changed… and it made him think, 'That's not the Lan Mei I know.'

Ivan turned to Hyun Soo who looked greatly shocked. Even more so than the entire class. At this fact Ivan knew Hyun Soo was thinking the same as him, 'She just moved the same way a trained assassin would… she moved like a perfect killer chasing down their prey.' Despite this her appearance was that of a normal girl, all Ivan could do was smile along and congratulate their victory just as Yao was doing. The class was soon filled with talking and such, forgetting all that they saw. Lan Mei held a small smile as she hugged the two males tightly. "I can't believe I won…" she muttered happily. Now she just needed to get stronger until she encountered Xiang again. This victory only proved to be a small step to such a goal.

* * *

 **AN: So, if anyone was wondering about the crime in the beginning it was Xiang xD. However he framed it on another student. Thanks for reading! Please fav, follow and review da-ze~!-Fiore**


	10. Chapter 10

Ever since that day Lan Mei constantly found herself in several predicaments. She got a new job, she met new friends, and she almost died 3 times. All of this happened in a week. Now it was the end of the second week of going through school with such changes and Lan Mei was expected to clear out her debt little by little…

The South Korean girl sighed counting the money, after working many hours and whatnot. Combining her pay and the allowances she received from her "mother" in the mail she had…2,264.94¥ (22.09 U.S dollars).

"35,974.40¥…I gave him 989.30¥ last Friday which gives me a total of…Aish I hate math."

"34,985.10¥…" She stated, despite lessening her debt she still felt like nothing had changed. "Okay so if I give him this I'll owe him… 32,720.16¥." She forced a smile, "A-again…why was he carrying such an expensive antique up the stairs da-ze…?!"

Suddenly she caught sight of Yao walking the halls with a large amount of papers in his hands. This made Lan Mei realize something about the Chinese teen, 'I always see Yao working or carrying objects around after school.'

"Yao!" She called for the boy. Immediately he turned to meet her eyes. "Lan Mei," he simply stated with obvious surprise.

"Y-Yao, I got paid so…," Yao raised a brow as a teasing smirk came to play. "So you remembered aru? I'm shocked~."

Lan Mei pouted, "Aigoo, of course I do… Anyway…" She glanced over to his papers, "Do you need help?"

Yao shook his head as his cheeks began to turn pink at her offer, "N-No thanks, I got it aru." Lan Mei crossed her arms, "Are you sure…? I'm free now you know…if you need help just say so." Yao shook his head, "I said its fine aru." Lan Mei sighed at his prideful personality, "Fine…then I'll see you later."

Yao widen his eyes in surprise, "A-Aiya weren't you going to pay me?!"

"But you're busy," she stated simply with a small smirk of her own. Yao weakly chuckled, "T-that's not an excuse aru…," Lan Mei rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. Hold up." She pulled out the money which she placed in a small envelope. She held a small blush as she hesitantly slipped the money into his pants' pocket. Yao blushed extremely at her actions, "W-W-What are you doing aru?!"

Equally flushed as Yao; Lan Mei stuttered horribly as she glanced up at his face, "I-I-I'm just p-putting the money i-in your pocket s-so y-y-you don't lose it…!" Yao nodded weakly as he turned away from her, 'S-She touched me…'

"Y-Yao…?" Lan Mei called awkwardly. Yao looked over with a small smile, "Y-yes..?"

"Yao…can you please just let me help…I seriously have nothing to do until Ivan finishes up his work." Yao frowned at the mention of Ivan, "You're waiting for him…?"

She nodded with a small smile, "The assignment in science, remember? S-since the school is having room changes soon for the third term due to the arrival of new students we're expected to clean out of the rooms today. Most of the students are going to their homes (some out of the country and stuff, its winter vacation soon so). S-So Ivan was thinking of working at his house during the weekends da-ze."

The South Korean thought about it for a moment, 'Now that I think about it…I've never been over a friend's house…'

Yao realized this fact entering in his own thoughts as well. 'Aiya…I hope me and Kiku are roommates again. Some of the guys in this school can be really mean…'

It was silent between the two, mostly due to their separate thinking about the current events going on. As of now the rooms were being redone during the break. Students were expected to go home for now until the end of the vacation and are expected to return back in early January.

"A-Anyway…I'll help." Lan Mei quickly took half of the papers in his hands. 'w-woah…so heavy.' She thought as she held a large stack of papers. "Who's this for?"

"Student council…I think there's a lot more." Lan Mei froze, "A-aigoo…I feel bad for the people who have to look through these," specifically her worries were for Elizabeth. She was the school president's assistant.

"Yeah…but it can't be helped aru. Work is work."

Lan Mei giggled at his reasoning, "Yao…I noticed that you work… **a lot.** Is there a reason for that…?" She flushed realizing she was being rude by asking such a personal question, "I-If you don't mind me asking..."

Yao chuckled, "its fine aru." He thought for a moment how he could explain to her; then again he was uncomfortable discussing this. "…I don't really fit in aru…"

"…What do you mean da-ze?"

"I'm poor," his words were blunt, yet sadness was evident. Lan Mei paused for a moment letting the words sink in, "Yao…"

"Go ahead laugh aru. Avoid me like the other rich kids in this school. Now you know who I am; a poor Chinese guy with money problems so go make fun of me."

Lan Mei held a frown, she felt that he was telling only part of his story but said nothing about it, "I'm not going to tease you or avoid you da-ze. A-after all…I don't really fit in with the crowd either…I'm—"

Yao avoided her stare, "N-No…you're lying aru. I'm sure you fit in with others well." Lan Mei pouted playfully bumping into him, "Aigoo, what makes you say that? I'm not all that great with socializing and besides I'm not really rich like the other students da-ze."

The Chinese teen rolled his eyes as an evident blush crept on his face, "O-oh really aru…? W-well you're kind…. and cute, a-and—."

Lan Mei almost tripped at his words causing Yao to glance over with concerned eyes. "A-are you okay aru?" Lan Mei nodded hesitantly as she began turning red in embarrassment, 'did I hear him correctly?! Did he just called me cute?!'

"Y-Yao…," she began to mutter. However, Lan Mei was cut off by Yao who was deeply tense by her previous actions. He tried best to conceal his face behind the stack of papers, "W-we're here aru…s-so you can leave. Bye—."

"I-I don't want to leave…!" Lan Mei blurted out without a thought. The South Korean blushed deeply lifting the stack to cover her face as well despite it being heavy to lift. Yao chuckled nervously as he took the pile from her, "aiya I said I got it, leave it to me aru."

Lan Mei scowled weakly at him, despite orders she followed him inside the office. There inside the Korean came across her friend Elizabeth who was talking to the same blonde in her History class, Arthur Kirkland. 'The president of the student council, Arthur Kirkland…is there something going on between them…?' She smiled slightly giggling, her otaku-like personality taking over her usual shy one. "I ship~!"

Yao glanced over to her raising a brow at her words, an amused smirk on his face, "Are you sure you're okay…?" The South Korean nodded hiding behind him.

Yao flushed deeply setting the papers down. "Excuse me…?" Yao called out gaining the attention of the two Brits. "Yes, how may I help you?" Arthur asked with a small smile. Yao kept a calm stare, "I'm here to deliver papers to you, I just wanted you to know they're here..."

Elizabeth held a pout observing the male, 'Is he the poor student from last year…? The guy who scored 100 on the entrance exams? He doesn't look that interesting…,' for a moment she was going to leave but spotted a familiar hair curl peaking from behind Yao. A smirk played on her lips, "Im Lan Mei is that you…?"

Lan Mei jumped in surprise from hearing her full name uttered by the British female and peaked shyly from behind, "D-Dae…?"

The moment the male Englishmen saw her he brightened, "Ah, you must be Lan Mei. Elizabeth's younger sister, right? It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lan Mei hesitantly nodded, "A-actually she's my—."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "We have the same mom, Lan…" Lan Mei pouted hesitantly nodding, 'though she isn't my real umma…'

In the middle of this, Yao stared confused, "Lan…?" The Korean girl looked over to her friend with a small smile. Immediately Yao caught her thoughts just by staring into her chocolate brown orbs. He remained quiet as Elizabeth continued to speak with Lan Mei. Arthur stood quiet waiting for the two to finish speaking; he didn't want to speak to Yao and neither did Yao want to speak to Arthur. "W-We should be leaving, right Yao…?" Lan Mei stated nervously as she tugged on his left arm. Elizabeth pouted slightly at her actions, "Lan Mei… who is this boy? Is he a friend of yours?"

Lan Mei nodded frantically trying to pull the teen along, 'L-Let's go..!'

Yao flushed slightly at her touch and weakly began to move. Before leaving she spoke in a shaky voice, "D-Dae, bye-bye Elizabeth…!" She ran off with Yao leaving the two Brits alone.

Arthur cleared his throat suddenly breaking the silence, "Now…where were we?"

"Well…we were planning the trip; as a way to reward the students for their hard work."

Arthur nodded in understanding, a small blush evident on his face. "I see… shall we continue speaking then?"

"Yes," Elizabeth stated with a shy smile; she had to contain the happiness she felt sitting here with the male teen.

* * *

 **AN: Sorry for the lack of updates! ;3; It has been tough lately with relatives over. So to make it up two chapters will be uploaded today. Please fav, follow and review. Also, thanks for reading and see you again the next chapter xD.-Fiore**


	11. Chapter 11

The South Korean girl gasped for breath as she tried to escape her current situation… "I-I'm sorry…! I-I don't—," Again the short teen found herself wrapped in a tight hug causing her to lose breath yet again. "L-Lan…? Are you sure you're going to be okay…? I can stay with you if you want" Yong Soo had his usual grin as he held onto his bicycle. However, Lan Mei knew his intentions weren't out of concern…

"O-Oppah… it is fine. J-Just go—."

Another crushing hug; Lan Mei wondered how many times she would be hugged by the stranger. Now she was being twirled around in a hug… causing her to become dizzy. Yong Soo sighed as he waved her off suppressing his laughs, "Well then… I'm off da-ze. Call me when you want me to pick you up."

Lan Mei voiced an okay despite her dizziness as Yong Soo rode off on his bike. The gate closed… this made the Korean girl worry even more…

"U-Um exc—"

"Y-You're my little Ivan's friend, da?" asked the stranger. Judging by her appearance Lan Mei guessed she was related to Ivan. Hesitantly Lan Mei smiled bowing slightly, "D-Dae…M-my name is Lan Mei—," Another tight hug greeted Lan Mei. It was an awkward moment for Lan Mei…especially since the stranger was more mature looking than Lan… "P-Please…," Lan Mei muttered weakly as a blush formed on her face. She was extremely embarrassed by this situation that she completely forgot her purpose for being here…

'A-Aigoo, I'm supposed to start on the project…with Ivan and Ya—,' Suddenly Lan Mei was greeted by Natalia and Ivan who came running towards them.

"Big sister Katyusha …get back inside. You shouldn't be running around." Natalia stated with a slight scowl. She was obviously annoyed that her sister suddenly ran to the front gate. After all Natalia was in the middle of speaking with Ivan about their "plans for marriage". Now knowing that Lan Mei was the reason to her sister's running made her even more irritated than before. She sent a glare towards Lan Mei who stared back with a nervous smile, this sort of meeting became a habit now. 'She definitely hates me…,' Lan Mei thought as she remained quiet. Ivan breathed a sigh as he spoke in Russian to his older sibling. "Bol'shaya sestra speshit' vnutri s Natal'yey , ya ne khochu vashe sostoyaniye ukhudshitsya ...( Big sister hurry inside with Natalia, I don't want your condition to get worse…)" Katyusha let a giggle escape at her younger brother's words as she gave Lan Mei another hug. Lan Mei let out a small yelp from the sudden hug. "Ivan…you don't have to hide your concern from your friend. I'm fine…" Lan Mei was confused by the conversation before her, 'I-Is she sick…?' she looked up to face Katyusha who smiled down at her, 'She didn't look sick however…'

"A-Are you okay…?" Lan Mei asked with concern. Katyusha nodded and tugged on the South Korean girl's arm, "Da~ let's go inside. I want to know how you and my little Ivan became friends." Lan Mei giggled nervously as she walked alongside Ivan's older sister. A slightly flushed Ivan and irritated looking Natalia soon followed behind them silently.

* * *

Ivan sat quietly next to Lan Mei on the furniture. Katyusha and Natalia were in the kitchen; Natalia was there to help her and make sure she was safe. Currently the silence made it awkward around them. "Um…your house…i-it's very elegant and spacious," stated the South Korean teen. Ivan chuckled nervously at her words, "T-Thank you." He glanced around the room and smiled kindly towards Lan Mei, "…D-do you want to start on the project or…?"

Lan Mei pondered on the idea for a moment until she met her decision, "S-Sure…I-I guess."

Ivan nodded with a smile and got up leaving the South Korean teen alone. Nervously she glanced at the clock which read 10:30 am. She frantically thought if she had come to Ivan's house at a very early time than she needed to. She didn't want to be rude… but she didn't want to come late either... but being too early was rude also, right?

Though Lan Mei was extremely surprised... When Ivan gave her his address she remembered him saying that he was embarrassed because his house usually ended up in a mess because of his siblings and such. He also said that Hyun Soo would probably show up unannounced at his house since it's a frequent event for him…

Honestly, Lan Mei never expected to find herself in a large and beautiful western styled mansion. As she took a look around she felt like she was a small animal who wandered into a large den. 'Everything is so expensive looking…,' Lan Mei felt like a foreigner in Ivan's house. Chandeliers sparkled elegantly above with lovely crystals; the walls were painted a pure white as some gold details followed it elegantly. Just as the ceilings which was painted with designs as well. Among the large windows which lead to the balcony were stunning white and gold curtains. The beige tiled floors were so sparkling clean that Lan Mei could have sworn she saw her own reflection in them. She took a look at the furniture in which she sat on. It was elegantly pleasing to the eye. The chair she sat on held Yellow cushions as the frame; a chestnut brown, was accompanied with another identical chair and a matching chestnut brown table between; it was small and round decorated with yellow patterns. If she looked more around the room she could see items such as a grand white piano, several large white statues and several other pieces of furniture with flower vases and antiques.

"This place is so cool…," Lan Mei stated in Awe. It was much more fancy then her house which was a simple middle class home. The chandeliers here were simple lamps in her house. The walls which were white and gold in Ivan's house were painted a bland cream color at Lan Mei's house. The windows at her house were ten times smaller and lead to nowhere but a city view outside unlike these large windows. The curtains were all but a simple shade of yellow and purple; the yellow which acted as a fake gold. Furniture…everything was simple not too expensive and not to poor, and the piano… Elizabeth was lucky to get a Yamaha at a cheaper price in her room so she could practice her music.

As Lan Mei seemed to finish her comparisons of the mansion with her house she was surprised by a certain North Korean who entered through the window. "Oh…Lan Mei?" He asked with slight surprise. Lan Mei smiled nervously towards the North Korean, "A-Anyo~." He walked over with a smirk; a bagged present in his hands. "Congrats~." Lan Mei was slightly confused by this which caused Hyun Soo to chuckle, "Ah~ Mianhae. This is for Ivan but you could share~."

He motioned for her to open the bag and she hesitantly did so. Immediately she held an emotionless smile, "aigoo…w-what's this…?"

Hyun Soo turned to face her as he began to attend to his hair which was now loose from its usual braid. "Oh… Ivan told me he had a project to do…? I'm not sure really yet he told me to go buy some things for the project since he had plans."

'P-Plans…d-does that mean…,' the girl began to feel guilty which worried Hyun Soo. "A-Are you okay…?"

Lan Mei immediately forced a smile, "D-Dae, I'm fine…," She breathed out a shaky sigh, 'I'm just saddened that I burdened him on my arrival…'

Hyun Soo sighed as he finished off his braid, "So…what brings you to Ivan's house?"

"…I'm Ivan's partner…for our science project."

"Pftt…," Hyun Soo had to turn his head away as his eyes began to water from the laughter he was struggling to suppress, 'this is his idea of guarding her?! Oh god he's enjoying this isn't he!'

"H-Hyun Soo…?"

Hyun Soo took a moment to compose himself. He looked over to from the corner of his eyes to see Ivan with 2 laptops in his arms. The Russian teen was clearly embarrassed that Hyun Soo found out his "plans" for the day that involved Lan Mei's presence. 'This is just too funny… I'll surly tease him later.'

Hyun Soo got up with a lazy smirk and tossed a red medium sized gift bag towards the Korean girl who caught it easily. "E-eh, what's this da-ze?"

"A present, you could say Ivan told me to buy it for you, too." With that the North Korean exited the same way he arrived from; the window. This made the girl very anxious since the distance between the ground outside and the balcony wasn't really small… She hesitantly glanced at the bag but reasoned to wait until she got home since she didn't want to make a mess. After the disappearance of Hyun Soo the Russian thought it was about time to show his presence to Lan Mei. Ivan placed the laptops on the table with a small smile and sunk into the chair tirelessly. Looking over to Lan Mei he began to fake ignorance, "What do you have there, Lan?"

Lan Mei smiled sweetly as she set aside her present, "W-Well…Hyun Soo came to deliver stuff da-ze," anxiously she eyed the window. 'I wonder if he's okay…'

Yet her worry dispersed when she remembered Hyun Soo being different than others. After all, if he could handle 9 thugs than he surely could handle jumping down from the window… right? Wrong, jumping down from a window and handling a fight were two different situations. In a quick moment Lan Mei rose from her chair and began to walk towards the window. Ivan followed with amused eyes.

Looking down Lan Mei saw nothing but the vast garden surrounding the mansion. "W-whoa…," again this mansion brought complete awe in her eyes. She was relieved that Hyun Soo wasn't hurt… but she had to admit that she never imagined Ivan to live at such an extravagant mansion much less be rich…

Lan Mei's vision of the rich would be those pompous rich guys and girls who often bullied her because of her wealth and economic status. However, her views only excluded Song Yi, Wei Xiang and Lien since they were rich but completely nice.

"You like, da?" Ivan's sudden question brought her back to reality and she flushed slightly, "D-Dae…it's very pretty here da-ze." It was silent for a moment as she stared at the array of plant life down below. Everything was so beautiful…

However, Lan Mei looked over to Ivan, "M-Mianhae… we should be starting on the project da-ze."

The Russian nodded finding himself turn a shade of pink, "Da…"

Both of them walked over to their seats, took a laptop each and began to type some of the written paper. From time to time they would stop to talk or to fool around. (Mostly Ivan just teasing her and causing her to laugh and smile…o3o) However, Lan Mei would sometimes catch Ivan sneaking glances at her and the bag, as if he was expecting something. Yet she dismissed the thought as she suppressed her blush from spreading. 'I can't fall in love…not now.'

* * *

"Aiya…No more I'm so tired of this aru," stated the Chinese teen between gasps. Currently he was on his bike with bags of Chinese food. Yes…Chinese food. Because…one of his jobs was being a delivery boy for a Chinese restaurant that went by the name of Bamboo forest; and currently with those bags of food he had to climb up a steep hill with his bike (He's not riding up…oh god that would be horrible xD. Instead he's walking up with the bike.). "It surely felt like a forest in that place… god it's so packed today aru."

What made matters worse for the teen was that the manager for another job he has suddenly closed up shop and went to attend a family crisis. So for now he had only two means of getting paid. 'Aiya, how am I going to get things done now? What with school…a-and—.'

He paused mid-way from his thoughts when he noticed a familiar face. If he remembered correctly the boy was in his homeroom. "H-Hyun…Soo…?"

The North Korean turned to see the Chinese teen who called him, lethargic surprise evident on his face. "Oh~ you remembered my name…?" He paused for a moment trying to remember Yao's name.

"Yaoi…?"

"Wang Yao…!"A-Aiyah I-It's Yao aru!

"Aru…?" Hyun Soo practically laughed out. Then again he was always wondering why Lan Mei and her brother ended their sentences with "da-ze" yet didn't question it since he didn't want to hurt her feelings much less hear her brother whine (Hyun Soo sees Lan Mei as a little sister that he kind of cares for).

The Chinese teen held a red face in anger as he darted his eyes back and forth, "D-Don't make fun…of the way I talk aru." It became silent until Hyun Soo spoke up, "…So what's up…? What are you doing now?"

"Working," now that Yao thought about it he should be hurrying now, "O-oh I should get going aru. If not they'll fire me…" He weakly chuckled and began to walk away but not too long after did a group of kids dart past the two causing them to fall aside while dropping their stuff to the ground.

"Aish…! Watch where the hell you're goin' you damn bastards!" Hyun Soo stated angrily with a fist as he reasoned to himself not to pull out his gun and shoot them to death. He was pissed off greatly especially since the items he had been carrying until now dropped on the ground. He breathed out an anxious sigh, 'Ivan is going to murder me if his stuff is broken…and if his present for Lan Mei is well…ruined.'

The North Korean couldn't help but mentally panic at the thought of what Ivan might do so he quickly grabbed the bags without a thought and ran away to his destination. Meanwhile, an irritated Yao weakly got up from the ground. Quickly he picked up the bags he held onto and began to walk towards his destination. Looking ahead he let out a sigh, 'The faster I finish the better. Surely then will I be able to go and meet up with Lan Mei and that cold-moron.' He looked over to the medium sized white gift bag that he picked up. "Hold up a second…," Yao began to frantically look back to where Hyun Soo dashed off to his path ahead. Sweat began to trickle down his face, 'H-He took my bag…the bag that held Lan Mei's present.'

In a few minutes the quiet atmosphere was replaced with loud rapid curses in Mandarin finishing off with a loud and extremely irritated, "Aiya!"

The day was certainly not playing out well for a certain Chinese male.

* * *

 **AN: Fiore here again~! ^^ Just as promised another 2 chapters in one day. Anyway, thanks for reading and please continue to show support with favs, follows and or reviews~! Until next time~ *^*)b**


	12. Chapter 12

4 hours…

4 long hours of endless work and the two managed to finish the written assignment together. Now all that was left was the visual part of the project; however, both teens agreed to save that for later until Yao came. Speaking of Yao… Lan Mei was curious on how they would know that he arrived. After all… Yao didn't have a cellphone so he couldn't call them.

"Lan…?" Ivan held a small smile as he studied her for a moment. Lan Mei focused her attention back on him; a small smile forming on her face. "D-Dae…?"

"I was just wondering… what should we do now~?" The question echoed through her mind for a moment, 'What…we should…do?'

She honestly didn't know. Matter of fact she didn't know Ivan's interests.

"I-I'll do whatever you want to do da-ze," Her smile was warm and kind which made the Russian feel feelings he could not describe. A slight red dust formed on his face, "Something…I want to do, da?" He couldn't think of what to do…he didn't even know what he would want to do. After all, no one ever asked him what he wanted. Ivan reasoned to himself to think of something that Lan Mei would love to do and play off as his own interest yet denied the idea because he didn't want to lie to her. "Sleep…," he shyly muttered . Lan Mei despite sitting next to him raised a brow in confusion at his words. "W-What…? M-Mianhae I…couldn't hear you clearly."

Ivan paused for a moment while he began to sink into his scarf nervously, "We worked hard for today…L-Let's take a nap."

Lan Mei took a moment to process these words; suddenly she began to blush extremely. "E-Eh…b-but I couldn't possibly…" She averted her eyes shyly. 'Oppah says to be wary when going to a boy's house so…,' her sights slowly glanced at the red bag from before. 'B-but if I don't lower my guard…M-Maybe if we nap…I-I can secretly take a look at the gift while he's sleeping?' She turned a deeper shade of red, 'W-What am I saying? Ivan wouldn't try anything… he's nice and—.'

"Lan?" Ivan worriedly asked. He was beginning to regret his words.

"Dae… let's take a small nap da-ze. It's been a long day." Her voice obviously sounded embarrassed which made Ivan chuckle. He stood up and held out a hand for her to take. With a smile Lan Mei took his hand and was guided forward. In a matter of minutes Lan Mei found herself in an indoor garden with Ivan. Her cheeks reaching a high heating point… she was guided slowly through the rows of flowers until they came up to a bush of Hydrangeas. "Here is good, da?" Ivan asked with a small smile. Lan Mei hesitantly nodded at his question and began to sit beside him on the grassy area with a small plop. The Russian had to chuckle at her sudden childish personality as she began to puff her heated cheeks in a pout. 'W-what did I do wrong…?'

However, Lan Mei brushed her thoughts aside when she heard a thump next to her. Looking over to her left she saw Ivan laid his back against the ground; arms supporting the back of his head. His eyes were closed and he breathed calmly, seeing this sight Lan Mei felt a bit of cheer in her heart, 'He's sleeping so peacefully.'

She was going to grab the bag on her right side but immediately flinched from Ivan's sudden touch. His violet eyes were closed yet he wasn't asleep just yet, "You agreed…you wanted to take a nap too."

The South Korean girl released a nervous chuckle, "D-dae…Mianhae I was just curious about this bag."

Ivan opened his eyes to find his sights on a red gift bag near Lan's opposite side, 'Is that…-?'

"Ufufu~ what's the hurry? Surprises are better when everyone is here da? Let's wait until Yao-Yao comes~," an indifferent smile formed slowly on his face at the thought of showing off his gift for Lan Mei. In turn, the South Korean teen was confused by the meaning behind his indifferent smile but decided to let it be. She rested against the grassy field nervously, her stiffness obviously showing and her self-conscious feeling could not subside. No matter how tight she closed her eyes shut Ivan could see that she felt uneasy; he breathed a nervous sigh. "Lan, it is fine. It was selfish of me to decide on how we spent our free time, we can do something else if you want," yet Lan Mei decided to go against his idea. "Ani… I want to do what you want to do. I-It's award for me to do something like this yet you're tired. S-so if you want to take a nap I don't mind joining you…"

Ivan weakly smiled as he felt a sweat drop forming, "D-Da…," again he rested himself against the grassy surface; arms supporting his head. 'Is taking a nap that bad…? O-Or is it because of me?' The Russian was saddened at the thought of Lan Mei feeling uneasy because of him; wasn't he supposed to be her protector…? How was he going to protect her if she didn't want him near her? Ivan began to internally sob as his imagination began to create "short movies" in his mind, each short clip stabbing his heart. Whilst, the Korean girl beside him noticed the aura around him begin to gloom… internally she felt slightly anxious of what she might have done wrong, 'O-oh no…d-did I upset him by my words? O-or maybe he's angry because of my intentions… he hates me now because I was impatient upon opening the gift!'

Her mood also dropped…

It was now silent between the two which made the "tranquil" nap a "horrible" one filled with misunderstandings. In fact they weren't even sleeping…both teens couldn't sleep. It was a battle of who would sleep first... and Lan Mei despite being a "weak" girl wasn't going to give in.

'I-I can't fall asleep… I should apologize! B-But what do I say…? A-Aigoo…I'm such a bad friend, I did something yet I can't apologize! W-Why is it so hard to apologize to him aish?! I-I don't even know w-what I did wrong!'

'There's no way I'm sleeping… if I sleep that means Lan will be in a bad mood… b-because she doesn't want me napping next to her. I should wait until she falls asleep and then slip away so she isn't bothered by my presence…'

The two teens kept talking and talking in their minds until ultimately both fell asleep at the same time.

* * *

"Um…E-Excuse me, I'm here to—," Immediately Yao was cut off.

"Oh~, you're another friend of Ivan, da~?" Katyusha spoke with cheer as she spoke on the sound system with a smile. The Chinese teen was taken aback by the word "friend" yet continued his words, "W-Well…actually—."

"Ah, I'm so happy my little Ivan is making so many friends~! I'm so happy!" She repeatedly cheered completely ignoring the words Yao was trying to say. Instead Natalia's voice began to speak up, "You're the Chinese male from last time, da?"

"Y-yeah… I'm here because of a project aru. C-Can you ring me in, please?"

There was silence on the other end of the intercom and Yao could have sworn he heard screaming for a moment until it came to a stop. Yao became worried as he wondered what could have possibly happened yet brushed it aside as he thought about the red bag. "I-I hope she didn't open it yet aru… If she did—," Yao began to heat up at his thoughts. 'If she did then I'm done for. A-Aiya, s-she might misunderstand…' In his little moment of panic the large metal gates began to open up and in the far distance Yao could see Katyusha running towards him with a smile. Yao became a ghost in complexion because he was shocked by what was happening or what he thought was going to happen. "N-No…s-stop—!" He was immediately tackled in a hug by the Ukrainian. In the far distance Natalia came running after them with irritation clearly written on her face, "Big sister, are you going to do this with all of Ivan's friends? It's really not good for your health." Katyusha kept smiling despite Natalia's words, "Natalia…I'm fine." She turned to Yao who was currently being hugged to death by her. "I'm just very happy that my little Ivan is bringing so many friends~." Yao began to soften at her words, 'This is Ivan's big sister…? She really cares about him.' He broke into an awkward smile as the male weakly wheeze out his words, "…L-let's go inside a-aru. You should listen to N-Natalia about your health…," 'Yet, I don't know what's wrong with her health…despite her having a strong grip for a simple hug…'

Katyusha nodded realizing that she was still hugging him tightly. She let go and began to frantically apologize. All Yao could do was laugh nervously while telling her it was fine. Meanwhile Natalia who quietly stared at the two was angrily thinking about Lan Mei and her brother, being alone; together. The thoughts made her panic yet she didn't show it on her face. Instead she kept muttering a chant in her mind, 'Brother please marry me, marry me, marry me, marry me…'

"Natalia let's go~." Katyusha chimed as she grabbed a hold on her hand. Natalia only stared with passively as she was led by the elder female; but inside she was slightly content by her big sister's happiness. As the trio walked in the gates were closed behind them with a press of a button by Natalia. Yao who was being questioned by Katyusha stole glances at his watch since he was curious on what time it was. '3:02…so I guess I'll leave at 6:00…? A-Actually the sooner the better…,' beads of sweat slid from the side of his face when remembering the screams he heard from the intercom. Soon enough thoughts of that scream made Yao wonder for a moment, 'Hold up…w-w-what if those screams were Lan Mei! I-I-If it is then…'

Yao immediately quickened his pace towards the house shocking Natalia. Katyusha was on the other hand content, thinking that he was eager to arrive in the house to meet with Ivan and Lan Mei; however in actuality he was only interested in seeing Lan Mei… Natalia saw his intentions clearly and scoffed silently to herself, 'If he's here then at least big brother won't have to be alone with _her_.'

In an instant the Chinese teen found that he was in the vast house. Already Katyusha abandoned him to finish off her cooking; all she stated was that she was preparing something delicious and hopefully enjoyable for Lan Mei and Yao. Yao was excited upon hearing this since he was a "food-addict" but immediately he casted those thoughts aside. Hesitantly, he turned to Natalia with a small smile, "Where can I find Lan…?" He figured it was better to be polite around her to avoid an early death.

Natalia cracked a small smile; it was slightly eerie in disposition. "If I remember correctly…my brother was with her in his favorite room…but then…"

She trailed off slightly studying his face for a moment. Just as she suspected the male seemed to be angered by this fact since his eye began to twitch in annoyance as he clenched and unclenched his fist tightly. 'T-That cold*insert a series of Mandarin curse words and rude name calling in Mandarin… o-o*! He better not do anything to her!'

"I think I know where they are…" A fire immediately ignited in his honey brown eyes. "Lead the way aru."

The two began to walk for a while until they came to an indoor garden. Natalia instructed him to not touch anything as she explained that she saw the two teens approach this area while "guarding Ivan from a distance"…or so she said. In short…Natalia had to leave to make sure Katyusha was doing fine by herself in the kitchen; Yao waved her off weakly only to set his eyes back to his "quest".

He gulped nervously, "W-Well…here goes nothing aru." He walked in slowly looking around for the two. After constant walking and showing admiration for the flowers he froze in place at the sight before him.

Near a hydrangea bush the two teens were currently napping beside each other. There before Yao, Lan Mei slept peacefully in a fetal position with the red bag snuggled close to her chest. Some petals had fallen to the ground and on top of her figure. The Russian slept faced towards her, his left arm bent in angle which was positioned close to his face while his right arm was positioned in a relaxed manner.

Basically his position was that of a "yearner" and seeing as though Yao was a superstitious person he felt extremely protective of Lan Mei being next to the Russian male. 'A-aiya…h-he's a "yearner"…! That means he's a suspicious person! I knew he wasn't to be trusted,' he walked forward with a scowl directed at Ivan, for some reason he felt a pain in his heart at the sight of the two sleeping so calmly next to each other. As he neared them, Yao saw the red bag clearly in her arms. This proved to be problematic because Yao didn't want to wake her up yet he also didn't want her to open it yet. He breathed out a nervous sigh as he bent down and reached hesitantly towards the bag. Only then was he sent back by a kick from Ivan. Yao luckily blocked before real harm was done as a reflex of his.

"A-aiya what's your problem aru!?" Yao said rather loudly in anger. Ivan didn't say anything as he stood still. Now that Yao thought about it Ivan's eyes were closed and he seemed to be "sleeping". The Chinese male dodged another attack this time falling on his back. "Tch…w-what a bother…," he got up with a flip forward when he noticed the Russian not attacking anymore. Yao studied him closely; he was in a trained battle pose and his movement seemed rather swift despite being in a sleep state. The Chinese male felt perspiration slid down his face, 'W-what is he—?' In a swift moment Yao found himself kneed with a powerful strike to the stomach. He swore he heard some ribs break from the contact but could do nothing as he fell to the ground coughing. 'H-He's abnormally strong…' However, Yao wasn't going to be finished off so easily he slid his leg around in a 360 degree angle knocking Ivan down to the ground. As Ivan fell, Yao quickly distanced himself despite being in much pain. Looking over to Lan Mei he was surprised to see that she was still sleeping. Though she seemed to be less tranquil than before…

'Is she having a nightmare?' Seeing this, Yao felt that she would wake up soon…

'L-Let's just hope I don't end up dead when she does,' Yao quickly focused his attention to Ivan. Who was gone…?

Wrong… Yao turned to see the Russian in back of him ready to strike. Quickly Yao ducked and sent a punch to his abdominal area, he managed to send the male back a few inches but other than that Ivan was unaffected. Yao who held a small smirk at the beginning paled, "W-wha—," A punch was sent back this time knocking Yao to a far distance. Yao struggled to get up again as he decided to just try and wake Lan Mei up. At the very least she can get help or something… Yao collapsed to the ground with a thump. His whole body was in pain and he couldn't do anything but struggle to get up again; but that failed so he had to crawl to his destination.

'T-This sucks…,' he crawled as his life depended on it, also while dodging the sleeping maniac's attacks. "Aiya are you trying to kill me that badly aru?!" Yao responded in an irritant manner as he hovered over Lan Mei… He began to shake her awake only to be kicked behind with amazing force. However, Yao still had some strength and used it to support his body up so he didn't fall completely on Lan Mei and crush her… "D-Damn…it aru…" he breathed out tirelessly.

He flinched as the Russian was apparently hitting him like he was a cement block he had to chop in half with his bare hands. "L-Lan…!" He breathed out tirelessly. No response. "Lan Mei…!" Again she was still sleeping "peacefully"; the Russian gave another blow this time Yao was sent closer to Lan Mei's figure. By this time he could hear her mutter words in Korean, one phrase specifically caught his attention yet his shock was overpowered by a small blush forming on his face for he could smell a scent of hydrangeas and lilacs from her.

"Lan, w-wake up aru…!" Yao stated through gritted teeth, He directed his eyes to the Russian who recoiled back to charge his strike again; this seeming to be the final attack. In this time Yao took the chance to shake Lan Mei frantically. Slowly Lan Mei opened her eyes and in a quick moment Yao was smacked down on top of Lan Mei; finally resulting in losing consciousness. Lan Mei flushed extremely as she began to squeak in nervousness; she then shouted out in the loudest voice she could muster up, a timid voice which echoed in Ivan's ears; yet was directed to Yao, "W-What are you doing, p-pabo(idiot)?!" Yao was sent flying off of her and instead landed on top of Ivan who was now awakened with shock in his eyes. 'S-She hates me…s-she seriously does hate me...'

* * *

Lan Mei honestly didn't know what to say as she stared down at the unconscious Yao resting on her lap. Next to Lan Mei, Ivan sat silently with a guilty expression; "Sorry… I didn't mean to fight him or anything… I'm really sorry," Lan Mei sent a reassuring smile towards him.

"I-It's fine…! You were asleep da-ze. ...If anything I should be blamed for throwing him when he was hurt…," she chuckled nervously as she looked down to Yao. 'Yao… mianhae; if only I wasn't sleeping... then I could have—,' She looked over to Ivan who seemed to still be saddened as he sat with legs brought close to his chest, "I-Ivan…please don't be sad da-ze. Y-Yao will be alright—."

"I'm not… it's just..." He was quiet for a moment but soon raised his head displaying a forced smile, "Ufufu~ no need to worry, da? Yao is the one hurt not me…so please watch over him until he wakes up~."

Lan Mei held a frown at his words. 'Is he still upset with me…? Or is it because we're wasting time? O-or maybe-!' She tugged on his sleeve "demanding" that he inch closer. Hesitantly Ivan obeyed and she immediately pressed a hand to his forehead. "Ah, how peculiar da-ze… So it seems you aren't sick after all," Ivan remained confused at her words as his eyes were slightly wide at her gesture; mainly because the Russian was shocked to have her gentle touch on his forehead, "L-Lan…?" Heat and color increased in his face.

"Ivan… you're hurt too aren't you?" Ivan shook his head, "Nyet, I'm fine."

Lan Mei didn't believe his claim. "Ivan…if you are please, tell me da-ze. I'm…" She trailed off now puffing her cheeks in embarrassment, 'S-should I apologize or should I tell him I-I'm worried for him…?'

The Russian sighed, now smiling a genuine smile as he gave a pat on her head, "I'm fine." He looked over to Yao, "Ufufu~ Yao-Yao seems to be awake." Immediately the South Korean teen turned to face Yao who held open eyes, looking up with a pout. "S-So…you've finally awakened aru…," Yao lifted himself from Lan's lap and cringed when the pain in his abdominal began to take effect, "Yao…a-are you okay?" Lan Mei frantically asked as she searched through her stuff for anything useful. Instead all she found was her bento, a manga volume and a music player. The red bag was also there yet she was still unsure of what was inside so she decided to peek into it only for Yao to purposely scream out in pain. "A-aiya…! I-It hurts, it hurts so much aru~!"

Ivan stared at the Chinese teen seeing through to his plan, "Ufufu~ "it hurts" he says, da~? Should we call an ambulance here, Lan?"

Lan Mei nodded at the idea as she abandoned the red bag to help Yao up. Yao on the other hand panicked at the mention of an ambulance. 'N-Noooo! I-I-I hate hospitals! H-Hospitals have shots a-and stitches! A-and really expensive bills…Damn him for suggesting it!'

"I-It's okay Lan…t-there's no need for an ambulance aru. I just need rest…," he began to laugh the situation off nervously but began to cough painfully instead. This continued to raise her worries as she began to frantically carry him about unsure of where to go or what to do. Ivan simply chuckled as he started to dial, yet Yao kicked his phone aside. "I don't need to go to the hospital aru! J-just…let's work on the project! Y-Yeah, we have to finish the sooner the better, right!?" His last statement which was supposed to be a question was more like a demand which made the other two less willing to work now. 'Yao, even if you say so I don't want to take commands when I know you're still hurt…,' Lan Mei thought as a sweat drop formed. Ivan who was picking up the South Korean girl's belongings (the red bag and her little backpack) scoffed at his words, "Ufufu~ I don't take orders from you Yao-Yao~!"

Yao held a glare as he breathed a sigh, his eyes trailing towards the red bag in his hand, "T-Then…what do we do aru. What's the point in coming here…?"

An amused smirk played on his face, "To work on the project, da~?"

"Aiya, I just said that aru!" Yao scowled as he seemed to fight in Lan's support (she was supporting him up so he could walk now… despite the difficulty…o3o).

Lan Mei felt beads of perspiration slid down her face as she stared at the idiocy before her. The way these two fought amongst each other… Lan Mei was unsure whether she should be worried or relieved that they weren't killing each other in their rivalry. In her thought she was caught in a daze, 'these guys…,' a smile began to form on her lips until she broke into a giggle. Both males looked over with curiosity, "E-Eh…? W-what's wrong, Lan?" Yao began first. Ivan scratched his cheek nervously as he held his usual sweet-looking smile, "Ufufu~ I think she's laughing at how idiotic you can be~."

The South Korean sunk down with Yao following along, giggles still escaping her lips, "A-Aigoo, you guys~. I-It's so amusing to watch you guys fight, for some unknown reason da-ze~." Both males felt heart rush to their faces, "…Lan, you're crazy aru…," Yao stated bluntly. Lan Mei puffed her cheeks as she let go of him for a moment. Yao fell back clenching his stomach in pain for a moment until he saw her eyes show worry. He forced a smile, "Aiya, seriously what are we going to do aru. I get here only to see you two slacking off together, hmm?"

Ivan took a moment to sit back down seeing as the two really wanted to stay in the garden. "We worked for 4 hours, Yao-Yao. Actually we ended up finishing the written assignment. We left the visual until you arrived but…" He smirked teasingly at the Chinese male, "You seemed to be unfit to work, da?"

"—and whose fault is that, huh aru!?" Yao scowled. Lan Mei again stared at the two as they bickered with one another. In the end Lan Mei again found her sights on the red bag. It was really bugging her so without any hesitation she grabbed the bag and searched through it. Immediately Yao, as if having a 6th sense for such events quickly snatched the bag from her nervously. His face increased in heat and color as the South Korean gazed with concerned eyes. 'E-eh, what did I do now…,' she questioned herself yet immediately focused on Yao's explanation. "U-um… sorry aru. I-It's...just." His eyes darted back and forth across the room. Hesitantly he gave the bag back, "sorry… go ahead open it aru."

Lan Mei nodded hesitantly and began to reveal the contents. Inside the bag were a book, specifically a manga; and a black messenger hat with cute stars and stripes designs. Lan Mei looked at the manga first. Immediately, she froze at the familiarity of the character on the cover page.

 _"I-I-It's wasn't like that aru! T-That wasn't y-you! I-It was another girl!"_

 _"A-Another girl…?"_

 _"Y-Yeah…"_

 _"F-From my manga aru! S-she's the heroine! I-I take pride in her aru…"_

 _"W-Woah! A-A manga da-ze? C-Can I read?"_

 _"Y-yeah…when I finish okay?"_

Lan Mei felt her cheeks heat up extremely; to the very point that she thought steam would escape from her ears. She was at the point of crying too since this was the first handmade gift she had received from a friend (her other friends always bought her things), "Y-Yao…!" She hugged him tightly and rocked him back and forth in the tight hug, "Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!" She stated in complete happiness. Yao was completely red just like the peonies he saw in the garden, hesitantly he patted her back as he muttered a, "I-I-I get it aru. P-Please let go of me now aru." The pain came rushing back to him yet he struggled to ignore it.

Ivan on the other hand stared blankly at the two, clearly unamused, 'Hyun Soo…I hope you have an explanation…'

Just as demanded Lan Mei let go of him shyly but quickly recovered to her cheerful otaku mode and began to look through the book. Yao breathed out raspy breaths; as if he survived a life threatening event. Just now he felt his heart increase in speed and certainly that did not go unnoticed. The Chinese teen was curious about the meaning to his quickened heart yet excused his thoughts when he felt Ivan's violet eyes stare at him in boredom. Yao held a scowl as he wondered what he was thinking, after all Yao was still untrusting of Ivan. Yao felt that Ivan was hiding many more secrets and the fact that he was alone with Lan Mei made him wonder what sly moves he tried to pull on her. Honestly, Yao wasn't sure for his sudden overprotectiveness over the South Korean girl yet it seemed to be building up since the moment he found out that Lan Mei was in trouble with a gang; due to his immature actions before the event. At that time, he spent all night searching for her, it was only then did Kiku find him while on his morning walk with Wei Xiang. Kiku then took him back to their dorm to talk sense into him. Now looking back Yao surprisingly acted differently than himself…

"Ufufu~ is that a present for me, da~? How _generous_ of you, Yao-Yao~."

Yao snapped out of his daze as he looked over to the white bag he brought along with him and shoved in his pocket.

"Oh, this?" Yao held a small smirk, "Sorry, but Hyun Soo left this aru~. I'll give it to him when I see him-."

"Or you can give to me. I'm his friend, so I can easily return it to him." Yao rolled his eyes as he handed the bag to him, 'This guy…'

'…I hate him so much.' The two were in a death glare now and Lan Mei who was still in her world took a moment to glance at them only to sweat drop as a laugh escaped her lips yet again. In her mind the two mimicked animals; Yao was a tiger while Ivan was a Grizzly bear…both were oddly similar yet different at the same time as they seemed to prepare to fight to the death. (Similar: fierce animals difference: a lot of differences...), 'Aigoo…I just summarized their relationship completely.'

She sighed closing the book and placing it back into the bag, now looking at the hat she studied it for a few seconds.

'What is…?'

"It's a "replacement" you could say aru." Lan Mei smiled weakly, obviously still confused, "Eh…?"

"I…couldn't find a hairpin aru. A-actually there was, yet I kind of thought it wasn't…" Yao kept trailing off at a loss of words to explain himself which Lan Mei found amusing. Lan Mei appreciated the thought yet still wished to get her mother's hair pin since it was an irreplaceable memento. "Thank you, Yao." She smiled sweetly. By this time Ivan had enough of watching the two. He got up shocking the two, especially Lan Mei. "I-Ivan…?"

"W-we shouldn't stay here for a long time, da? Yao still needs to get medical attention…," Lan Mei nodded hesitantly forgetting such thoughts since Yao seemed fine now. Yet the moment Yao tried to get up Lan Mei saw that he was still in pain. "Aigoo… Yao you're very h-heavy…,"Lan Mei heaved Yao's weight along as they walked. She was acting as his support yet again and Ivan was there to lead them. Usually Ivan would offer to help Lan Mei yet he was too busy dealing with his thoughts. 'Why…does it hurt so much? Did I actually get hurt without realizing it…?' Ivan shook his head, 'Nyet…I'm sure that he didn't cause any damage, no broken ribs, dislocated limbs or anything. Yet...' He clenched his fist angrily and forced his usual fake smile as he turned to face them, "Lan, let me carry Yao-Yao~. He's heavy for you, da?"

Lan Mei however kept supporting him, "A-Ani its fine, Ivan. I-I can handle it—."

Ivan disobeyed her answer; he picked up the Chinese male from the collar and threw him over his shoulder like he was a luggage bag. Yao screamed in an unpleasant tone obviously in pain. "Gāisǐ de, fàng wǒ xiàlái nǐ chùshēng! Gāisǐ de húndàn, fàng kāi wǒ! (Damn it, put me down you brute! Damn bastard, let me go!)," despite being in pain though, Yao did not hesitate to hit Ivan with furious punches. Lan Mei worriedly stared at the two as she ranted about being able to help Yao walk. The Russian simply stayed silent though, and soon enough the South Korean gave up sadly. Lan Mei sighed as she lowered her new hat to cover her face, 'Umma…is this what being friends with males is like, or did I just screw up?'

* * *

 **Sorry for the long update again o3o. Thanks for reading. Please fav, follow and/or review~!- Fiore**


	13. Chapter 13

The South Korean girl had only but one option; to stay silent at the dinner table and accept the food that was being forced onto her. One thing when it came to Lan Mei was that she absolutely did not want to trouble others, whether it is for simple things or bold acts of kindness towards her. She wanted nothing but to be there and that's all. However, it seemed that Katyusha was cooking a feast for them… Lan Mei couldn't refuse and put her effort to waste. Especially since Ivan explained to her that Katyusha has a fragile body than the norm.

"Is it good~?" Katyusha stated with a smile. Lan Mei nodded smiling herself, in truth the food was different than what she had eaten; not the pleasant different though… yet Lan Mei was able to deal with it since she had Katyusha's feelings in mind. Also Yong Soo raised her to eat everything on the plate no matter if she liked it or not, basically she learned to train her stomach to be a black hole and consume everything despite not liking it…

Apparently Yao was the same…well the part of being a black hole.

Lan Mei turned to Yao who seemed to eat his plate worth entirely, to the very point that all was left was the plate itself; spotlessly clean. Lan Mei sweat dropped at the act, 'H-he ate everything… and he's supposed to be injured (in his abdominal region).'

Yao clapped his hands together as an act of being done; He looked over to Lan Mei with a smile since he caught her gaze. "Is something wrong aru…?"

Lan Mei flushed a light pink in embarrassment as she continued to eat her entire plate. She was feeling prideful that she was left behind in their "battle". Yao chuckled at this and looked over to Ivan with a glare. Currently the two males sat next to Lan Mei; Lan Mei being in the middle of their glares…

'What's his problem… he's been glaring nonstop at me,' Yao thought in annoyance as Katyusha began to serve his plate again. Yao made no effort to let Ivan's glares get to him…yet, it seemed that Lan Mei was in a less cheerful mood which made Yao concerned. "Lan Mei," Yao inched closer whispering in her ear, "If you don't want the food you don't have to force yourself aru. I can eat it." The feeling his warm breath on her ear made the South Korean flinch nervously. Lan Mei flushed a darker shade as she almost began to choke on her food. "L-Lan Mei," Ivan and Katyusha called out anxiously. Immediately Ivan directed his attention to Yao, "What did you do?"

Yao scowled at the Russian, "Nothing," Ivan was unconvinced, he stood up from his chair ready to drag the Chinese teen away from the South Korean. "Don't lie. She started choking after you whispered something in her ear. What did you tell her," His voice was dark and intimidating.

Yao felt shivers go down his spine as he tried to keep his stare; getting up himself he walked only to stop a few inches near Ivan. He tried to be intimidating as much as possible as he glared daggers at the tall Russian male, "N-Nothing aru. I said it was nothing!"

"Liar!" Ivan barked back.

"U-Um guys… w-we shouldn't be fighting da-ze…," Lan Mei managed to say after composing herself. She was able to finish her plate now and immediately Katyusha asked if she wanted seconds; which Lan Mei said no to in the politest way. However, this was hard for a "Yes-girl" such as herself… She got up to try and break them apart.

"D-da... we should be eating." Katyusha stated with a weak smile.

The two males looked over to them stopping from their "fight" as both saw this was the wrong place to fight each other. "We'll continue this later…," Ivan muttered through a blank smile. Yao held a weak smirk as he walked back to his chair. Lan Mei sighed seeing the two bicker like children, she wondered if both would ever be friends…

As Lan Mei walked to sit back in her chair Katyusha stopped her and asked cheerfully if she wanted dessert. Lan Mei forced a smile as she told her that she felt full yet Katyusha insisted that she come along, "Come on, help me bring the desserts~. Be sure to get some for yourself~!"

"B-But—," Lan Mei was "dragged" away to the kitchen by the Katyusha. Honestly, the idea of her being frail was hard to believe for Lan Mei. This left Yao, Ivan and Natalia alone in the vast dining room. Surprisingly the two were being silent… well actually it was understandable since Natalia was there with an irritated expression.

* * *

"K-Katyusha… I…," Lan Mei began but couldn't find the words. "Lan Mei, do you like anyone? Any boy that you have interest in…?" The question made the South Korean teen jump back in shock. "W-W-What? U-Um Katyusha..."

Katyusha began to giggle at Lan Mei's flustered state. "I was only asking~. But Lan, I'm seriously asking you. Do you~?" Lan Mei hesitantly shook her head, "I-I'm not really…looking for a boyfriend yet…"

"…Yet? Then when will that be, Lan?" Lan Mei fell silent as she seemed to increase in redness. "I-I'm not sure…" The Ukrainian sighed as she pulled her into a sisterly hug, "When you're sure about it, come see me, da?" She broke into a smile, "D-Dae."

Katyusha smiled back releasing her and looking over to the desserts she left on the kitchen table. "Help me stack these in the cart~." Lan Mei nodded and began to help her with the desserts. For some reason the South Korean teen found herself wonder a question that has been on her mind for a while.

"Katyusha, don't you have people helping you here?"

Kayusha smiled, "Da, usually there are since Ivan and Natalia go to school. But before…," she railed off. Lan Mei timidly apologized but Katyusha reassured her, "You know, I went to World Academy as a student not too long ago. I was supposed to be a second year student right now," she frowned slightly. "But because my body can't handle stress very well I had to drop out. It was fun while it lasted, though~."

"I'm sorry…," Lan Mei couldn't help but utter sadly. "I-I wish you get better."

Katyusha smiled sweetly as she changed the subject, "…By the way, did something happen? I noticed that Ivan is a bit…angry." Lan Mei nodded feeling a frown form on her face. "I'm… not really sure. B-But I think it's because of me…"

Katyusha paused in her stacking and asked her to explain. "W-well…earlier today Hyun Soo brought a bag… he said it was a present to me, from Ivan. I wanted to open it yet I kind of debated against it…" Lan Mei began to blush at the thought of it which brought a smirk on Katyusha's face, "You were curious though, da?"

"D-Dae…, but Ivan told me to wait until Yao arrived." Katyusha stifled a giggle as she began to think upon her words, 'Ah, my little Ivan was being childish again. He wanted to show off his gift for her in front of others~.'

"What else happened, Lan?" Lan Mei hesitantly continued her explanation while struggling to suppress her blush. "W-well…since Ivan and I finished most of the written assignment we decided to take a break. I asked him what he wanted to do and he said he wanted to nap… so we ended up sleeping in the garden…" She squeaked in embarrassment as she remembered what happened when she woke up. "Oh, did something "interesting" happen?" Katyusha cheered with a smirk.

Lan Mei shook her head as she covered her face. "Come on, Lan~! Tell me~, Tell me~!" Katyusha was acting like a child now as she begged for the Korean teen to tell her. "W-When I woke up…" She trailed off nervously. "Da~?"

"Yao was on top of me…," instantly Katyusha started to squeal at this. "Ohhh did he!? W-Well I didn't know that Yao was such—."

"I-It's not like that! Yao is just a friend…," Lan Mei trailed off feeling light headed from all this screaming and embarrassment. Nevertheless, Katyusha was still on the subject, "Then what about my little Ivan~?"

Lan Mei immediately jumped back at the thought, "A-A-Ani! He's also a friend! Not to mention I knew him for a short while, w-we just recently met! Same goes for Yao!"

"So~, admit it you fell for my little Ivan. He's adorable isn't he~. He's also very handsome~!"

"Katyusha!"

"Fine, fine~. Continue on explaining I really want to know why Ivan is angry."

Lan Mei sighed nervously as she seemed to be red like the pickled cherries in some of the desserts. "…So…Yao, he was unconscious because it seemed Ivan and Yao were fighting while I was sleeping." Katyusha nodded, "Go on~."

"Ivan said he was asleep though so…I guess he was fighting in his sleep…?"

"You believe him?"

"D-Dae…he didn't look like he was lying to me," Lan Mei stated. 'Besides… seeing as though he isn't like normal guys… maybe its a habit from what he does?' She tried to convince herself with such thoughts. Katyusha nodded as she seemed to stack all the desserts on the cart. She was intrigued by this explanation since it was both entertaining and interesting to her. "Yao eventually woke up…and well it turned out the present that Hyun Soo brought was Yao's present to me…," Immediately Katyusha realized the problem, she clapped her hands together with a grin, "I found the problem."

"E-eh, you did? What is it da-ze?"

"Ivan is jealous~." It took a few seconds for Lan Mei to process the words in her mind before speaking again. "Ehhhh?" Katyusha still held a smile as she pulled the cart along, "Da~. He's just jealous. Tell me, did anything else happen? Like, did he try to hide anything?" Lan Mei thought on it, "W-well…he didn't really "hide" anything yet Yao said Hyun Soo left a bag in his procession by accident and Ivan took it. Ivan said he was going to return it to Hyun Soo."

"Ah, I see~. I think I heard all that I needed to know, shall we go to them?" The South Korean raised a brow, "Sure…" The two walked out of the kitchen and arrived to the dining room where the three sat silently. However, Lan Mei immediately sensed that the mood was slightly different.

"Did something happen…?" Lan Mei asked anxiously. The males turned a light pink at her stare which made her raise a brow in confusion. Weakly she forced a smile, "U-um… guys…?"

They refrained from speaking to her which made her feel slightly saddened, 'Aigoo…I did something wrong again. They hate me…'

Silently she sat down between them, but to her surprise they shifted away slightly. The South Korean sighed weakly as she remained silent, 'I want to leave. They don't want to be friends with me aigoo…'

Katyusha worriedly looked at the situation, thinking to herself; 'Oh no, did they overhear…? Well that's not good,' in her worry she still handed everyone desserts so that they may eat. Silently the three ate and Katyusha sat by Natalia, "What happened…?" She whispered.

"Both of you were taking a long time in the kitchen which made Big brother worried. That guy tagged along because he was worried that something happened to Lan Mei…," Natalia explained in a whisper.

Katyusha squeaked slightly at Yao and Ivan's concern for Lan Mei yet worried about her guess being true. 'Ah, this is a big problem… now the mood is awkward. A-and seeing how Lan Mei doesn't know the situation that well…'

'They hate me… but why…should I apologize…? B-But what did I do?'

Yao coughed out nervously as he weakly smiled towards Lan Mei, "The food is delicious aru~. D-don't you agree, Lan?"

Lan Mei turned with a saddened expression as she tried to force a smile, "D-Dae…"

Yao frowned slightly, 'aiya…she seems to be even sadder.'

"Lan, try this." Ivan called out hoping to cheer her up. Lan Mei turned to face him still feeling saddened. 'Now is the time to apologize…a-and I can also try to apologize for earlier, b-but what did I do earlier…?' Her mind was splitting apart. Ivan sighed at the sight of her frown. This made him unhappy but what he heard earlier brought feelings of embarrassment so he froze at the sight of her face. 'H-has she always been this cute…,' Ivan thought as he stood frozen in place. Unfortunately, he didn't pay attention as some of it fell on her clothes.

Lan Mei stared blankly as she got up from the chair. "I-I'm going to the bathroom…" she stated as she began to walk away.

The two males called for her asking if she was okay to which she responded with a smile and a "I'm fine…," both males did not believe this as they decided to follow her yet Katyusha told them to sit. "I want to speak to you both…"

* * *

Meanwhile, Lan Mei leaned against the door of the bathroom feeling slightly gloomy in mood. As expected of Ivan's house…the bathroom was also grand like the rest of the house. She sighed as she began to dial her brother's phone number. After 3 rings the elder picked up with a cheerful voice.

 **Anyo~~ is it time for me to pick you up da-ze?**

"D-Dae…" Lan Mei stated with a small smile. She was very happy to hear her brother again during this time.

… **Lan Mei? Is something wrong da-ze? You seem sad…**

"O-oppah…I'm fine," she lied. It seemed her sadness came back at the mention of it.

 **Lan… tell me. Or do you want me to put Elizabeth on the phone…?**

"…She's there?"

 **Dae, she needed a ride to a friend's house. Aish, I don't understand how everyone but me needs to go to friends' houses. Am I that unpopular~~!**

The Korean girl began to giggle at her brother's words, "A-aigoo, Oppah~. C-come on…just hurry and pick me up, okay?"

 **Ahaha~ fine, fine. But Lan, did something happen da-ze? You've been worrying me since last week, especially after club. Is there something you're not telling me?**

Lan Mei remained silent for a moment before speaking once again, "Oppah…, let's talk later okay…?"

… **Fine. But no more avoiding me. Luckily its vacation so you can't dodge me at home got it. And don't forget I have Elizabeth with me~! –** _ **What are you talking about, git! Hey, pay attention or you'll injure us**_ **\- Aigoo, got to go Lan Mei. Bye-bye~!**

Lan Mei giggled as the phone was immediately hung up. "Oppah… I don't think it's that easy to explain though."

Slowly she put away the phone in her pocket feeling herself already missing her brother. Now that she realized it she hasn't spent time with her brother ever since she met Yao and Ivan. '…I wonder how life would be now that I won't be able to hang around them.' She felt tears form on her eyes. 'Umma…what do I do? What should I say…?'

She paused, 'Ah, that's right…I still need to get _her_ back from Xiang.' At the memory of Xiang she felt slight anger boil. She pushed it back however and began to breathe calm breaths; she needed to be calm.

In her time, she was already sitting against the door with legs hugged close to her chest. "I'll wait, and wait…until Oppah comes." Sure, she felt she was being childish yet she didn't want to face them. She saw Ivan's face…he was turning red, probably in anger, and then he let her clothes get dirtied; Perhaps on purpose? She refused to believe this, "A-ani…Ivan isn't that type of person. He's very kind and…," Yet she couldn't say anything else since in actuality she hasn't known him for a long time.

'What am I saying…acting like I know him…'

She looked over to her phone yet again, "4:00…" She thought for a moment, "If Oppah doesn't come by 5 I guess I'll tell him I'll take the bus. S-since I can't stay in here forever…"

A knock on the door cause her to jump slightly.

"W-who's there…?" she called in a depressed tone of voice.

There was no response which made Lan Mei slightly anxious, "Who's…this?"

No response again which made Lan Mei scared. She inched back from the door studying closely as the knob was being jiggled violently on the other side.

Without a second to think a click was heard and the door creaked open. "It's been awhile, huh Lan Mei," stated a familiar voice. Lan Mei felt her eyes grow wide.

"You… wha-"

The Male sent a forceful punch to her stomach causing her a great deal of pain before raising her by the collar. "X-Xiang…how did you—?"

"You don't need to know," his lips cracked into a small smirk, "You thought I wasn't going to be around since its winter break? How disappointing, I really overestimated you…" He threw her to the ground causing her to lose consciousness from the force of the fall. He began to look around the interior with a smirk, 'sneaking in here was easier than I thought.' Slowly he pulled out the hairpin that he stole. Studying it for a moment he sighed, 'why do I have to do this again?' He bent down and placed the pin in her hand. "I'll torture you again soon, Im Lan Mei."

* * *

Lan Mei fluttered her eyes open only to see two familiar faces. Yao and Ivan.

"L-Lan you're okay aru! What happened?" the Chinese male basically cried out. Looking at him right now Lan could have easily mistaken him for a female if she didn't know him. "Yao…?" She began to sit up only to fall back down in pain. "Don't force yourself, Lan." Ivan stated calmly for some reason Lan Mei was able to pick up guilt in his voice. For a moment the South Korean thought she was just imagining things in her light headed state. "What happened da-ze…?"

"Aiya, that's what we want to know aru…! What happened to you? You went to the bathroom to clean up yet when we go to check on you you're on the floor badly bruised and unconscious!"

'Oh…Xiang,' she thought with slight anger evident in her eyes.

Ivan studied her sensing his guesses to be true. 'So it wasn't a false alarm…someone wandered into the house, and that someone was that guy name Xiang.'

"Everyone, can you leave for a second I need to speak to Lan. Alone."

Katyusha and Natalia nodded understanding perfectly. Yao on the contrary was being stubborn. "Like hell I'm leaving aru! Lan Mei is hurt; she needs people who care about her to be with her!"

"Natalia, get him out."

"Yes, big brother," she began to walk towards the Chinese teen who glared daggers at Ivan. "I'm not leaving! You can't make me aru."

"Ufufu~ last time I checked **this was my house**."

Yao was immediately silenced as Natalia dragged him away. At the sound of the doors closing behind Ivan breathed out a sigh as he brought a hand to his aching forehead.

"Ivan…?"

"You're okay, da?"

"Dae…I'm fine." Ivan smiled glad to hear such news. Hesitantly he took her hand in his, "I'm sorry… because I—."

"Don't blame yourself…," Lan Mei interjected, she sighed nervously suppressing the heat that was currently rising in her cheeks from his contact. "What happened has nothing to do with you. I-I just…tripped."

"Don't lie…," his hold on her hand became tighter for a moment. Lan Mei smiled in reassurance wondering what to say. Yet she found it better to let the silence talk for her. To show that she really had nothing to say. To show that she was just a useless girl who couldn't do anything but stay silent and let things happen.

Ivan sighed, "Lan, tell me the truth. Tell me, who did this to you?"

"I don't know…," she lied. Actually… in truth she didn't know him, so technically it was a half lie.

Ivan remained silent as his mind seemed to think on its own, 'If only you knew Lan…if only you knew who I was and what I do. If only you knew I was supposed to protect you despite being an assassin... if only you knew that I could kill anyone if I wanted to. That you're friends with a murder. Maybe if you knew some of these facts, will you be able to tell me the truth...?'

"Did the person do this to you, too?" Lan Mei glanced over to her bruised arm from before. It was getting better yet a small bruise was evident on it. "Dae…," Ivan wasn't able to speak anymore. 'It's my fault. For not being able to protect.'

Ivan got up causing the South Korean teen to get up despite her pain. "Where are you going—," she fell to her knees feeling the pain in her stomach. 'Damn it Xiang, he hits really hard…'

'It's my entire fault'

"Ivan! W-wha- nggh…," she stood quiet seeing that she couldn't raise her voice too much since it pained her. She felt so unlucky right now. Weakly she tried to get up with the support of the low table; only to fall down knocking over the objects on the ground. She cursed weakly in Korean as she struggled to get up. Yet she found her sights on a familiar object. "Umma! Umma!" She cried happily as tears started to fall from her face. She clenched the object close to her, "Umma, bogo sip-eoss-eo (Mom, I missed you)."

* * *

Yao despite being pulled away was able to still wait by the door. Natalia allowed him this as a favor from Katyusha. Though, Yao had to promise her not to go in. Yao promised and so Katyusha and Natalia left him alone as he stayed still in front of the door.

He pressed his ear to the door suppressing tears as he heard her speak. When he found out that the person who injured her today was the same person who injured her arm the other time, Yao felt anger boil in his veins. 'I'll kill whoever did this! I swear I'll kill that person!'

Yao began to clench and unclench his fist repeatedly as if craving to kill the culprit now. He listened on still, which what seemed to be simple chatter until he heard Lan Mei scream out. Yao was about to break his promise yet ruled against it despite it being unbearable. He heard footsteps and immediately moved away from the door. Ivan walked out without looking back and Yao saw an awful expression which surprised him. 'Tears…?'

Never could he imagine that the Russian would be able to cry, he didn't seem human enough for that. But it wasn't impossible now, Yao definitely saw it.

"Ivan—!"

Ivan made no effort to talk to Yao as he walked away. Yao gritted his teeth in anger as he looked over to the room. He heard a crash and then Lan Mei's voice. Quickly he motioned to open the door but again, that stupid promise… despite it being so stupid Yao never broke promises no matter what they were. He punched a nearby wall in anger, "Damn it! What the hell aru! What the hell is going on!?"

Yao was deeply confused, he felt like he was being left in the dark ever since day one. So many questions rushed through his mind such as; who was the person causing Lan Mei trouble? What actually happened on that night Lan Mei was in trouble? Where was she after the incident and how she escaped? Most of all he wondered about the girl herself. He still didn't know much about her. Yao sighed in annoyance, "What the hell is going on aru? Why is all of this happening to a single girl?"

* * *

 **Hi,Fiore here. It's been long since I uploaded a chapter and I'm extremely sorry for that. School and personal life has been stressful and there's so much for me to do. But with that aside I'll try to update this story every week like I had originally planned. (Also wish I can convince Remi to help revise my story for corrections since I'm really bad with grammar and spelling...). For today I'll upload 3 chapters and as always thanks for reading. Please fav, follow and/or review. It makes me very happy~! ^^**


	14. Chapter 14

After a long day of unpredictable and problematic events, it was about time that the trio said their goodbyes. However, despite Lan Mei wanting to retreat from the gloomy atmosphere from before, Ivan was unwilling to let her. Still forced to rest in bed, the South Korean girl sat quietly as Katyusha tried to cheer her up seeing how Ivan was unwilling to see her after their conversation. Despite his absence though, whenever Lan Mei tried to sneak out the Russian just came back to bring her back.

Lan Mei puffed her cheeks in annoyance as Yao sent a final smile her way before leaving. He gave a brotherly pat on the head and hesitantly walked out saying his goodbyes.

"Bye…," Lan Mei stated weakly after Yao closed the door. She seriously wanted to leave…

Yet something bothered Lan Mei's conscience. "Katyusha…," she started.

The Ukrainian teen looked over to her and smiled sheepishly with hopeful eyes, "D-Da…?"

"…Is Ivan…angry at me? He seems to be avoiding me now a-and he started acting weird after our talk. Yao too…"

Katyusha didn't know how to respond to her question. She felt that she should tell her the truth yet if she told her the reasons…

'She needs to find out herself, though…' Katyusha thought as she pondered on what to do. 'She's afraid of love.' She concluded.

"H-He doesn't hate you, Lan. I-Ivan is just thinking about stuff~."

"…W-what do you mean by "stuff"?"

The Ukrainian froze as she brought a hand to her cheek; making it rather obvious that she was thinking about the answer.

"W-Well…Ivan is very mysterious. So even I won't know…," Lan lowered her head in sadness which caused Katyusha to frantically add on to her statement.

"B-But, I'm pretty sure Ivan doesn't hate you! I–Ivan r-really really likes you!"

She covered her mouth almost immediately as she studied Lan Mei's expression. Lan Mei sat quietly as she stared at her palms nervously; she was very bashful to make contact with the Ukrainian. Even more so the words made her nervousness increase. "H-He does…?"

Katyusha hesitantly nodded, 'M-Maybe it's for the best if she knew? Maybe she feels the same way—.'

Lan Mei felt a smile form on her lips as she lifted the sheets from her small figure, "I-I'm going to see Ivan."

Almost immediately Katyusha grabbed her wrist stopping her from her tracks. She felt perspiration slide down her face as she anxiously kept a hold on the Korean teen, "Y-You should rest until your brother comes with a change of clothes," reminding her that Ivan called YongSoo earlier asking if she could stay over, and surprisingly was granted his request.

Lan Mei shook her head, "Mianhae, I'm sorry. But I'm not staying here da-ze. That's why I should see Ivan before I leave. I don't want to trouble him anymore than I have…," she trailed off as her mind wandered to the many scenarios in shoujo mangas.

"Lan Mei…," Katyusha began. She wanted to know why the South Korean teen was being so stubborn… "You're not a burden. I feel happy with you around."

"Katyusha?" Lan Mei gazed in slight shock as the elder began to cry.

Despite crying silent tears Katyusha still kept a smile. "Not many people visit here, Lan. Ivan and Natalia are always at school so I really am happy that you came here today. I just wish you would stay longer…"

Lan Mei frantically nodded as she tried to cheer up the elder, "I-I-I understand now, p-p-please don't cry da-ze!"

Katyusha chuckled as she wiped the tears away. "S-Sorry about that. Let's go see Ivan, da~?"

Lan Mei nodded hesitantly as she followed Katyusha slowly from behind. With a smile she glanced over to the hairpin she held tightly on to in her hands.

* * *

Nothing but silence was present in Ivan's bedroom. Diligently he typed on the computer as he looked over certain videos captured by the cameras positioned all around the exterior and interior of the area. An annoyed sigh escaped his lips as he struggled to work the computer. "Eh~? Nothing at all, huh? How annoying… this is why I hate technology at times."

He got up from the chair as he began to pace around the seemingly normal room. His thoughts raced back to a certain teen as he felt the need to check on her. 'She's probably trying to leave again…'

Thinking more about the girl caused his mind to refer to the conversation he had with his big sister.

'Love, huh?'

Tiredly he fell back onto his bed; staring up at the ceiling with dazed eyes. As if seeing something he reached out staring at his hand extended out before him. As if it was the most interesting thing he saw his lips curled into a smile.

However, before he could say anything, a knock was heard at his door. "…I-Ivan? Lan Mei wants to see you~," Katyusha stated hesitantly as she knocked several times. The Russian made haste to his computer and pressed the off button of the monitor; completely hiding the contents on it.

He looked around making sure that his weapons were hidden and anything that would reveal his secret occupation was out of sight. When everything seemed to be fine he opened the door and found his violet eyes make contact with a pair of chocolate brown eyes. However, the smile on her face caught his sights. A warm smile, which almost made him smile back unconsciously yet he maintained a serious expression. He was still dejected upon the events that happened previously and he couldn't afford to waste time on idle chit-chat.

"Da?" His voice was already weary in tone; compared to before. Lan Mei bowed lowly as she dropped her smile, "…I-I just wanted to say sorry."

With that she walked off; or at least she was about to until Ivan halted her to a stop. At the touch of Ivan's hand on her shoulder, the warmth emitted from it; the South Korean almost felt that she would die right there due to her bashfulness.

"Katyusha, you should go and rest. You did a lot for today," Ivan stated calmly; his eyes were kept solely on Lan Mei. Yet, fortunately the Russian found himself smiling blankly as usual; it was good that his personality was somewhat back. Though it would be better if he actually showed his true self now…

Katyusha gave a single nod before leaving the two alone. "Follow," Ivan stated as he walked into the room. Lan Mei nodded slightly confused at what was going on. She shuffled along after him while not forgetting to close the door from behind.

"Lock the door."

Immediately Lan Mei's eyes widened slightly as she hesitantly followed the order. She was shocked by the secrecy he showed, even with his own family. 'Does he not trust others or—?'

"Sit." She abandoned her thoughts as she looked over to where he directed her to sit at. Tentatively she strolled over to the Russian's side; a pink dust coloring her cheeks. "Ivan…," She started yet was cut off by the Russian teen himself.

"You're feeling well, da?"

"Mhmm…" she glanced over to the pin in her hand. It was her will of courage sort to say…

"You got your pin back…?"

"Dae…"

The atmosphere seemed to be quite awkward between the two. Surprisingly, Ivan began to start conversation like normally. Bringing back his usual chuckle he gave a pat on her head. "Ufufu~ no need to be stiff. You said you wanted to apologize, what for?"

"…I'm not sure."

He raised a brow in slight confusion. "Then—?"

"I'm not sure but I know that I did something wrong." Her eyes showed sadness as she stared strongly at the male. A reassuring smile began to form on his lips as he hesitantly brought his hand to her shoulder. "You did nothing wrong…it was me."

"Ani."

Lan Mei began to frown as she kept her stare on him. To think, the Korean teen could make eye contact for so long since she was such a timid person.

"Ani," she repeated with determined brown orbs.

Ivan remained silent; unsure of what to say or do. His violet eyes began to wander to the computer; the need to get back to investigating slowly tempting him. Yet he found himself stare back at Lan Mei.

Silence was a definite factor in their time together. "So…what did you want to apologize about?" Ivan nervously asked again. He had forgotten her answer from before completely; or maybe it was done purposely to break the silence…

A blank smile found its way on Ivan's face as he awaited her response. "Ivan…," she started out with an anxious sigh. Lan Mei was obviously tense about her answer. "…Are you angry at me?"

The question made his eyes widen in shock, "Angry?" he repeated with definite shock.

He began to raise a hand to his forehead as he muttered questions to himself. "D-did my face look angry? Was I glaring at her by accident when staring at Yao…?"

Lan Mei giggled weakly as she tugged on his sleeve for his attention. "A-Ani, not at all…" She trailed off afraid to continue anymore. The situation was already awkward as it was since both teens were sitting close to each other on Ivan's bed.

"Lan Mei," Ivan called out for her to continue. She gave a small nod, "…you were angry at me because I did something wrong weren't you? Like, when we were at the garden…a-and at the dining room da-ze. Y-you're mood seemed to worsen…."

Ivan thought back finding himself at a loss for words. Then, to his disappointment the South Korean teen began to cry silent tears all the while forcing a small smile. "I-I'm sorry…I'm truly sorry."

Instantly Ivan pulled the small teen in his arms as Lan Mei stiffened in his touch. "—I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry!" She repeated as she tried to push him away. Ivan stared at the girl in worry as he kept a tight grip around her, "Lan Mei, its fine. You did nothing."

"Then why were you acting so differently…," she muttered. Ivan went silent.

"W-why…? Y-you and Yao, why were you ignoring me…?"

'You were ignoring me and staring strangely at me like everyone else. You were…'

"I'm not angry… I could never be angry at you." He broke into a chuckle as he rested his head on her shoulder; taking in the smell of Lilac and Hydrangeas. "I wasn't angry at all~."

"Then wha—."

"I thought you were angry at me, Lan."

Lan Mei's eyes manage to realize the misunderstanding before her. She began to freeze; unconsciously Lan Mei loosened her grip on the pin. To which Ivan quickly enveloped his hand around her hand; making sure the pin did not fall to the ground and break.

"Ufufu~ that was close, da~? You should be careful with your mother's hair pin," Ivan now held his usual smile as he separated from the embrace. His eyes glanced at the computer once again. "Lan, now that you told me what's wrong…,"

"…you want me to leave?"

The South Korean teen got up shakily still slightly shocked by the sudden hug. The beating of her heart became rapid, and her body was warm. What added to her unsteady balance even more was that the pain in her abdominal area came back. 'Aish… I'm such a pabo…' Lan Mei thought as she wobbled to the door. She couldn't help but question her health since her heart was rapidly beating more than usual. 'It can't be that feeling…'

Ivan felt perspiration slide down his face at the odd sight she displayed before him. He followed after her. "…S-sleep," the Russian had stated as he lightly steered her back to his bed. Lan Mei immediately blushed, 'He wants me to sleep on his bed?!'

She raised a hand frantically as a gesture for him to stop, "A-Ani, I think I'll be fine walking back."

"Nonsense, my house is very big. It would be a very long walk for you."

Lan Mei remained quiet as she puffed her cheeks in slight annoyance, 'He's too kind for his own good aigoo…I hope he doesn't mind my company…'

He read her thoughts easily on her face like an open picture book, "Sleep, I don't mind at all."

Lan Mei gave a hesitant nod as she laid back and began to shut her eyes tightly. She waited a few seconds to which soon became a few minutes. When she got bored she slightly opened her eyes to see Ivan resting on the side of her bed; studying her, "Lan…," he called out with a sigh.

Lan Mei giggled weakly, "R-right, sleep… I understand da-ze…" Again she closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to sleep yet she didn't know how to when the Russian male was next to her. She buried her face in the pillow only to flush nervously at the scent emitted from it. She didn't know exactly what the smell was yet all she knew was that it was a nice fragrance which easily made her feel comfort. The fact that it was reassuring made it unimportant that she couldn't describe it. This was Ivan's fragrance…

In a matter of seconds she fell asleep feeling comfortable. Ivan saw this and smiled blankly. He hesitantly got up now feeling the urge to stay by her. He sighed looking over his computer, 'Is it wrong of me to want to slack around? With her around I just can't help but feel comfortable…'

* * *

On a tall building in the city a certain Cantonese male sat on the rooftop staring at a single envelope. Usually the male would shred all his letters after reading the contents. However, with this particular letter Xiang couldn't help but stare in slight confusion. He reread the words in his usual monotonous voice. "Xiang, no words can describe the amazing talent you hold to complete such missions. If it wasn't for you this organization wouldn't be the best. However…lately an informant of mine has told me of the latest job you have been doing. And to my disappointment I'm really surprised by the lack of results. This girl, Im Lan Mei. Is it difficult for you to finish the job quickly? Since it's not a matter of time before other organizations try to get their hands on her… Xiang, I'm not asking you to play games with her or any idiotic request. I'm asking you to unlock her abilities, the faster you finish is when I'll pay you. You can handle it right? After all if you don't…," He paused finding himself chuckle at the stupidity written in the letter. "Blackmail…? Is he that impatient to recruit this girl?"

He sighed staring down at the city lights. Any normal person would probably faint at the extreme height he stood at yet for Xiang this was anything but terrifying. He shoved the paper in his coat feeling the urge to pay the girl a visit yet rules against it. "That Russian guy is probably watching over her with protective eyes now… probably realized that his security was breached by me."

Suddenly a ring was heard and the male searched his pockets for the cell phone.

"Hello?" Xiang answered in his usual monotone.

 **Good evening sir. I'm here to inform you about your brother, Arthur Kirkland…**

"Yes, is there something wrong? Furthermore who's calling?"

 **A-ah pardon me. I work at the XXXXX hospital.**

Immediately Xiang's eyes widened in slight surprise. "Is my brother okay?"

 **Y-Yes sir. He's fine. Currently he's resting in a room. However…**

Xiang waited anxiously for the answer.

 **He apparently collapsed due to stress. Yet despite the doctor's orders to rest he refuses. We tried calling your parents but apparently they're away on a business trip. They told me I could call you though…**

"Y-Yeah… so what do you need me for?" Xiang asked.

 **We would gladly appreciate it if you stopped by and visited him. Try and convince him to relax until his health is stable again.**

"Ah…thank you. I'll be right there." With that he hung up and quickly began his trip to the hospital.

* * *

 **Looks like Lan Mei and Ivan are having some romantic bonding~ xD. And then there is Xiang being the mysterious assassin he is and doing his own thing. Anyways, thanks for reading. Please fav, follow and/or review~!-Fiore**


	15. Chapter 15

Repeatedly the sound of Kpop music played. It was a ringtone that constantly played when someone called Lan Mei's phone… Now, Ivan was able to memorize the words due to the constant calls Lan Mei got from Yong Soo. Yet the problem was that Lan Mei was asleep and whenever Ivan did pick up the phone it would be immediately hung up by the other end after a few minutes of arguments between a certain Brit and Yong Soo himself. Ivan sunk back against the bed; he currently sat on the floor while Lan Mei slept "peacefully". He glanced over to see her face, 'She's having a nightmare…?'

Just as he thought this she stirred again in her sleep while muttering Korean words. Unfortunately for the Russian, one of the many languages he managed to learn in his occupation did not include Korean. He sighed as he hesitantly began to brush strands of hair from her eyes. "Lan…," he breathed out feeling as though he should wake her. She continued to tremble slightly in her sleep which brought worry.

"…X-Xiang…," she muttered out. The only word he could understand; the only name that was currently being placed as his list of people he should **definitely** kill. Ivan held a scowl as he tried to suppress his anger; especially the anger directed at himself. 'I'm such an idiot… I should have killed him when I had the chance…yet I spared him...! I'm such an idiot!'

Suddenly that familiar Korean ringtone played and in an instant Lan Mei shot up with a gasp. A fearful look on her face as if she lost something more than her mother's hair pin. "O-oppah!" She cried out as she frantically grabbed the phone and answered the call. As if forgetting Ivan's presence and her whereabouts she spoke in rapid Korean. …All the while showing much emotion in her voice she started to cry dramatically. This was a complete different side to what Ivan was used to seeing…

"O-Oppah! dangsin-eun gwaenchanh-a? ! naneun-i kkeumjjighan kkum ege - eul hago iss-eossda naneun geogjeong haeyo ! A- wa I-! A- wa I-! (Big brother! Are you okay?! I had this horrible dream a-and I'm so worried! A-and I-)"

 **Lan Mei c-calm down… take deep breaths, okay? Speak in English; it's hard to understand you when you're speaking so fast…**

Immediately Lan Mei did as she was told. She paused taking deep inhales then exhaling it with a calm breath. When she felt she was calm down she resumed the conversation. "Oppah…," the Korean girl started. "I had that dream again… about Umma."

Lan Mei seemed to wait for her brother's reaction yet it was silent. "O-oppah?"

… **It's just a dream.**

His voice sounded serious than his usual cheerful tone. This startled Lan Mei yet she was still her stubborn self. "B-But…"

 **It's just a dream, Lan. You should forget about it… worry about other things, important things da-ze.**

"But it's important to me…," she muttered to herself almost immediately.

… **A-Ah right… I have some news da-ze~!**

His voice seemed to revert back to its cheerful self as he successfully changed the subject. "D-Dae? What is it?"

 **W-well a friend *cough cough boyfriend cough cough* of Elizabeth is- Ow!**

Lan Mei found herself giggle as a smirk curled unconsciously on her face. "Her friend is Ow~?"

 **A-Ani! Ouchh! Liz-**

 _ **Hand over the phone! You're horrible when it comes to explaining!**_

 **B-But my Hwa (flower)-!**

 _ **Enough, Enough! Allow me to speak to my little sister. It's been ages since we last talked!**_ Lan Me stifled a laugh as the arguments were still being carried out until she heard the sound of a nurse telling them to behave. Elizabeth began to clear her throat with a brief cough. _**Lan Mei, Sorry about that.**_ She took a pause, Lan Mei guessed that she was looking over to Yong Soo with a pout or some form of glare. _**Yong Soo was just being…Yong Soo.**_

 **Aish what's that supposed to mean da-ze!** The Brit ignored him. Instead she continued on with her news. _**Yong Soo and I can't make it… we're at the hospital. Y-You know, Arthur right?**_

"Arthur…? You mean the school president?" Lan Mei paused finding herself fall back laughing. "Don't tell me you—?"

 _ **I-It's not like I like him or anything!**_ Elizabeth practically screamed on the other end. Lan Mei suspected that the British teen was currently blushing madly. 'Sure you don't~,' she teased in her head. Instead of voicing her thoughts out Lan Mei took on a semi-serious tone. "So, what happened to the president?" _**He collapsed…due to overworking.**_

Lan Mei could sense the sadness in her voice and immediately she sat up feeling the urge to visit her at a time like this. "Which hospital is he staying at?"

 _ **E-Eh? H-he's staying at XXXXX hospital…why do you ask?**_

"I'm on my way~."

 _ **W-What? Are you crazy?! S-stay still you bloody git! You're in no condition to be running around from what I've heard!**_

Lan Mei sighed, "Then what are you going to do…? Are you going to go home after visiting him?"

 _ **I'm waiting for his younger brother… o-or so the nurse said. I want to inform him properly a-as Arthur's secretary…**_

Lan Mei rolled her eyes feeling it being rather difficult to suppress her laughter. Yet her curiosity was able to keep it under control as she found herself asking, "…His brother? Arthur has a brother?" Immediately Ivan's eyes widened as he listened on.

 _ **Yeah, he's on his way here…**_

Immediately Lan Mei was shocked as she found herself questioning this out loud to herself; "Arthur has a brother? A-and that brother is going to cross paths with Elizabeth…?" She couldn't help but sequel as she started comparing Elizabeth's situation with a k-drama she saw once. In her "fangirling" did Ivan decide to speak up.

"Ufufu~ this sounds fun," he stated with an indifferent smile. Lan Mei immediately looked over with questioning eyes yet slight shock and embarrassment took over her being. "I-Ivan…?"

Ivan cocked his head to the side, "Da?"

She flushed extremely, "How long were you—?"

"I never left~."

It was silent for a moment until Ivan chuckled weakly, "You were very cute though~." The South Korean felt steam blow out of her ears at the compliment as she seemed to be bright red like a tomato. The Russian chuckled again as he glanced over to the door, "Want to go out somewhere?" The Korean could only stare with confusion as her face remained a deep shade of red. She pressed her hands to her cheeks as she hung up the phone without hesitation before falling back on the bed, 'Aigoo…I'm ruined!'

* * *

Elizabeth simply stood silent as she blinked several times. "D-Did I just hear a male…? A-And that male called Lan Mei cute…" Elizabeth couldn't help but giggle at the irony of her younger sister's teasing. 'Ha~, now it's her turn to be teased.' She brightened at another idea. "I should tell Wei Xiang~!" immediately Yong Soo held curious eyes as he loomed over his "elder" sister. " _Noona_ (big sister), what are you going to tell Wei Xiang~?" His smile showed curiosity and amusement which simply scared Elizabeth to death. "Y-you're creeping me out…," she muttered as she walked away from him. Yong Soo started to beg…

"Please~! Tell me! I want to know da-ze."

"Calm yourself, it's just girl stuff…," Elizabeth stated with a huff. She was getting tired of his immaturity; especially when they were receiving weird stares from others in the area. The South Korean male noticed her uneasiness and decided to stop his foolish actions; after all he knew when to stop and act his age when needed to... well most of the time. "Fine…," he breathed out as he crossed his arms with a pout. "You're no fun _Noona_ ~."

" _Wanker_ ~." Elizabeth stated with false cheerfulness. "That's better," he chuckled out as he leaned against the wall. She rolled her eyes and looked over to her contacts. Immediately she clicked on the one that said Wang Wei Xiang. (No…Wei Xiang isn't related to Yao. They just have the same surname… same goes for Song Yi.)

Not feeling in the mood of having Yong Soo interrupt their conversation she simply sent a text.

Wei Xiang~, guess what.

 **What?**

Lan Mei is with a boy.

Immediately after sending the text Wei Xiang called the Brit now making the conversation a verbal one.

 **Did you text me right? A boy you say? Since when?!**

Elizabeth held a snicker at Wei Xiang's surprised voice since it was always a rare sight. Wei Xiang wasn't the type to get surprised easily and never had she had a conversation pertaining about "boys" and "dating" yet if it was about her shy friend; Lan Mei, then it was different. "Calm down. I'm not sure when and how yet I clearly heard a male voice speaking with Lan Mei while we were on the phone."

 **A male voice?** She snickered slightly. **Someone we know?**

Elizabeth thought for a moment, "…Not that I know of. Yet, Yong Soo did tell me that Lan Mei had to go to this boy's house today to finish a project for science."

 **A project…? Oh yeah, I remember now. She went today of all days?!** Wei Xiang sighed in discontent. **Why start so early when vacation just started. Aiya she's such a tryhard. Why can't she just take it easy for a while…** By now the Chinese female was ranting about her younger friend.

Elizabeth just stood silently waiting patiently for her friend to finish her rant. In her wait she darted around the hospital for any signs of Arthur's younger brother. Yet that would be a difficult task since she didn't know him…

"Shang?" Elizabeth began with Wei Xiang's nickname.

 **Yes?**

"You okay," she laughed out nervously.

 **Yeah. Why do you ask?** Wei Xiang stated in innocence. She clearly saw that her ranting was normal.

"Because you're ranting a bit more than usual...," her face was dead panned as a sweat drop formed.

 **Ah really~?** Wei Xiang sighed out. Elizabeth figured the Chinese girl was stressed from her company's work. After all, Wei Xiang was in charge of a automobile company. One of the top in all of Japan… And since her parents died when she was young it was her job to take over the business since Song Yi was too childish and resented such a job due to their parents dying in a car accident.

Wei Xiang took a pause before continuing. **So how do you know that Lan Mei and this guy are dating? Seeing how you don't know him...**

"—Because he called her cute! He must be in love. I did hear a bit of a Russian accent...but I'm not sure who it is..." Elizabeth stated with a smile.

Wei Xiang thought back before realizing something. **In homeroom… I think I remember a Russian guy. Tall, always smiling indifferently like Song Yi. He was talking to Lan Mei.**

"That it quite strange...did Lan seem nervous when she spoke to him?" Wei Xiang laughed out **, I don't remember. After all it's been a week or so since then... But knowing Lan Mei she probably was being shy like usual~.**

"Heheh, yea probably...hmm...they must have met somewhere before," she looked around for Arthur's brother. **Mhmm that could be the case~.** As Wei Xiang spoke another voice came into the conversation. It was Wei Xiang's older sister, Song Yi. Song Yi spoke in a chime, "Wei Xiang it's your turn to make the rice aru~!" Wei Xiang sighed, **Got to go, Elizabeth. My Jie Jie( sister) is bothering me...** "Am not~!" **Whatever~.** Elizabeth began to giggle softly as she gave a brief nod, "alright then, cheerio" She ended the phone call. "OH MY GOD!" Yong Soo suddenly screamed out causing nearly everyone to glance over at him. She looked at him strangely, "what the bloody-..?"

"It's Xiang! Holy—! It's my roommate Xiang da-ze!" The South Korean was smiling goofily as he pointed wildly at the Cantonese boy looking over in stoic response. "What's wrong with you...," Xiang stated in his usual monotone.

"Xiang? ...What are you ranting about? ...Who is he...?" Her eyes widened in realization, 'his brother?'

Yong Soo just blurted out the same thing only caring about unimportant details, "He's my roommate at school!" Xiang simply rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Excuse me..." He sighed as he passed by Elizabeth. His eyes looking at the room near her. He didn't bother to acknowledge her, "Ah, this is the one." He was just about to go inside before he stopped to inspect her.

At the same time Elizabeth looked him over, judging his attitude and manners, "...Arthur has more manners than him," Elizabeth muttered in a low voice. He looked over at the Brit before flashing a small glare, "Who are you?"

"Elizabeth...Elizabeth Jane, why do you ask?" She did a small curtsy, flashing a glare right back, 'I already have a new enemy...yay~.'

Xiang cracked a small smile finding the name to be quite familiar, "Ah, a friend of my brother's?"

"Actually I—," the Brit blushed hard at what she was about to say, "...I'm a close friend...y-yes...a close friend."

Xiang noted her hesitation and bowed slightly seeing that she wasn't an enemy, "Sorry, well then...," He awkwardly stared over to the door then back at her. "I'm going to see my brother then..."

"R-right..." She flushed extremely while mentally slapping herself, 'bloody hell...I'm turning into Lan...'

Xiang gave a small nod and pushed the door aside walking into the private room. There he saw a certain British male in bed, dressed in what a patient usually wore at a hospital. Immediately the Brit sent a nervous smile as he tried to hide the pile of papers he had in his hand. "X-Xiang...why are you here...?" Whilst their talk Xiang's highly sensitive ears picked up the English teen's sigh. She was looking at the time on her phone, ' I really should leave...it's late...but…,' she glanced at Arthur's room from opening left from the door; apparently Xiang didn't bother to close the door completely...

"...tsk...he better rest well...idiot..," she muttered softly, her cheeks slowly becoming red at the thought of staying by his side. …After all, her thoughts were directed solely on him at the moment. Xiang looked over seeing Elizabeth still waiting outside with a flushed face. The Cantonese assassin was simply confused by her actions and decided to try and help some way. Seeing how she was a close friend of his brother and he felt some guilt for appearing somewhat rude towards her. He sighed, "Bro, there is a girl named Elizabeth Jane waiting outside. Do you want her to come in?" Arthur was caught off guard by the question yet immediately found himself stuttering words. "E-Elizabeth is h-h-here?" He honestly didn't know what to say next.

She was still debating to either stay a bit longer, or leave, "maybe I should leave...," she muttered softly.

Xiang continued to stare at the elder sibling, "...she looks like she'll leave if you don't say anything." However, Arthur was still silent, his cheeks rising in heat as he thought about it. "Okay, I guess I'll—," Arthur immediately halted the Cantonese to a stop. "L-L-Look it's not like I want her here or anything! I-I just need this paperwork done, got it Xiang?! S-So tell her to come in—," He cut off mumbling words to himself in embarrassment. The Brit was now an abnormal shade of red... this leads Xiang wondering if he should call the doctor over or not...

She started getting her purse ready to leave. Xiang realized her preparation to leave and immediately called for her from inside the room, he was very certain she heard him since the door wasn't far away nor was it completely closed. "Oi, Miss Jane. My brother wishes for you to come inside."

"E-eh?" she freezes and blushed. "M-me?"

'just my bloody luck...'

"Yes," Xiang bluntly responded from inside the room. She blushed and entered the room, "…"

"H-Hello...," Arthur stated with a nervous smile. In his salutations he forgot to hide the paperwork from his secretary... Elizabeth noticed the paperwork immediately and smiled sweetly, suddenly snatching his papers, "working still huh? …tsk...you git...," Her cheeks were a fair pink yet the shade continued to increase ever so slightly. Impatiently she looked at the documents. Arthur simply smirked weakly in response crossing his arms over his chest, "Hmm? Last time I checked I'm still the president which means—." Suddenly Arthur's phone rang. He huffed in annoyance as he stared at the distance from where his phone was placed. "Bloody hell..."

Elizabeth huffed and chuckled softly, "don't even think about getting up for your phone... please... just rest..." the Brit sat on a chair on his side, looking at him worryingly, "...please Arthur."

Xiang nodded, walking over to get his phone; "She's right. Though, I doubt you want to speak to this guy, right...?" On the screen of the phone read the name Frog which as Xiang would guess was the vice president of the student council and also Arthur's rival, Francis Bonnefoy.

"That frog...he's such a player," she huffed and kept looking through his work, already finding solutions. Arthur chuckled as a smirk played on his face, "Ha, I bet he's slacking now. Probably calling to ask for my help~," He took a pause as he chuckled to himself in a prideful snicker. "Why not give him a chance; I'll see what this bloody frog has to say."

Elizabeth sighed and smiled at his enthusiasm. "Tsk...,"she set his work aside and looked at him. Her complete attention on Arthur.

The Cantonese sighed handing the phone over seeing as though the phone call seemed urgent. He looked over to the hallways hearing screams mainly belonging to Yong Soo. 'I should see what my idiot roommate is doing...' Arthur seemed to notice his plans to leave yet said nothing as he found himself greeted to an annoying laugh, **Ohonhonhon~ mon petit Arthur~ I have good news** , judging by the music and laughter in the background Arthur suspected the French teen to be at a party...

While in the middle of finishing Arthur's workload Elizabeth found herself roll her eyes as she heard his familiar laugh. Not to mention he was at a party. 'How unprofessional of him…,' she breathed out tirelessly.

Arthur was boiling in rage at this. "What the bloody— where are you, frog?! Why the hell are you?" The French man broke into another laugh as he spoke again, **Calm down; I'm just taking a break.** Arthur was not calm on the contrary, "What do you mean "taking a break"? How about you get your bloody arse out of wherever you are and get to work! We have deadlines; this is no time to be partying!"

 **But we have vacation...**

"That's not an excuse, can't you see we have a lot of paperwork, and then we have to plan the trip and the school dance! A-and not to mention we have to make plans about the dorms since **someone** decided to spend most of the funds on the fashion club...!" Arthur was extremely furious...

Elizabeth stared at the Brit with anxious eyes as the sound of the rapid beeping from the machine near him, signaling that his heart is stressed out. "Arthur...calm down..."

Arthur looked over to Elizabeth with a redden face, mostly from all the anger. He took slow breaths as he passed the phone to her, "S-Sorry...but can you take over. If I speak with him any longer I might just die from a heart attack..."

She blushed and nodded, taking his phone. This allowed him to relax as he cleared his thoughts. "Hello? ...may I ask what is going on through your bloody mind?!...at least help him with some work...him being in a hospital because of your recklessness is unacceptable...it could kill him…," her tone saddened noticeably.

The French male gave a nod as he took note of her sad tone, obviously seeing that he shouldn't try flirting with her like usual. Then again whenever he flirted with her he ended up rejected and sometimes hurt. He thought for a moment finding his words again, "Ah~, the news, the news. I have good news about the trip." He paused for dramatic effect waiting for her to respond.

"And," she was intrigued, happy that she got him to be more attentive.

He chuckled, "Liz, you're no fun. How about saying "Please tell me Big brother Francis~" or something along the lines of that~."

She chuckled, "how about I say, hurry up and tell me before you end up in the same hospital as Arthur…," she smirked.

Francis chuckled weakly, "O-ohonhon~ of course... well you see the school wants us, the student council to make a choice of the location. Of course the trip is a cruise and is a week-long trip but they are debating as to where. Here are the choices." He began to clear his throat as he began to explain the choices. "Choice 1~, a trip to New York City in the United States. Choice 2 is Paris, France; and Choice 3 Seoul, South Korea~. What do you think, hmm? I personally fancy Paris." The French teen was now ranting to himself about how Paris was an amazing city

Elizabeth huffed in annoyance and thought, "...hmm...I like those locations, it is a great idea." Francis nodded still somewhat lost in the talk of Paris yet managed to compose himself, "So what do you think? Which city should we base the trip on?"

"Hmm…...I think maybe Seoul, South Korea…it's more tropical…?" She wasn't really sure about that yet Lan Mei also came into mind about the idea of going to Seoul. It was her birthplace.

The Frenchman sighed seeing that his talk of Paris didn't reach her yet was content that he didn't have to worry about it any longer. With that he said his goodbye and ended the call. She smiled and turned back to Arthur, handing him his phone. "Looks like we have our location for the trip...h-hopefully you like it...," she blushed softly. Arthur looking up at her smiled back shyly, "O-Oh really...? What's the location, Elizabeth?"

"Seoul, South Korea," she blushed and looked down bashfully, hoping he wouldn't scold her or disagree.

However, despite Elizabeth's thoughts Arthur was pleased by his secretary's work. "Well done, Seoul seems like an excellent place. It's modern yet has a rich historical past; very educational for the students." Again he congratulated her and sent a genuine smile.

She blushed and smiled brightly, "th-thank you...umm...are you attending the trip as well?"

"Yes," Arthur stated. He averted his eyes, "A-are you as well...?"

"M-maybe...," She paused finding herself giggling sweetly, "need anyone to perform a little music on the cruise?" Arthur chuckled, finding his cheeks heat up. "I-I'm sure that your music will make the trip more exciting."

Elizabeth smiled softly and nodded, "then you can be sure that I will be there..."

Arthur held his smile; still struggling to suppress the rise of heat in his cheeks. "Then I'll look forward to going on the trip"

"Eh...?"She blushed more, and smacked his head gently and playfully, "...git"

* * *

 **Elizabeth and Arthur are so cute together *v*b. So yes, I had my friend help me with this chapter. Again, go check out her rp page on facebook. Just search up Elizabeth Jane Kirkland. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read and pleaze fav, follow and/or review as always until next time~! -Fiore**


	16. Chapter 16

"Ivan…," Lan Mei started. The South Korean puffed her cheeks in embarrassment. "I can walk…." Currently, the Russian was walking across the streets with the short South Korean on his back. Their destination was the hospital Elizabeth spoke of-luckily it wasn't too far so the two decided to walk there.

Ivan smiled indifferently, glancing back to look at her. "But Katyusha told me to carry you. Besides, you're very light so I don't mind at all~." The South Korean managed to keep her color to a minimal shade of pink as she buried her face into his back. In turn, Ivan's cheeks rose in heat as he felt awkwardness for her sudden closeness. "Lan, your sister… is she nice to you?"

Lan Mei was caught off guard by the sudden question but spoke up immediately. "Y-Yes…! E-Elizabeth is very kind, she's just like Katyusha," she broke into a smile. "…U-um, Ivan?"

"Da?"

"D-do you know where we're going…? I feel like we passed the same convenience store…."

Ivan began to chuckle weakly. "O-oh, really…?"

"Dae…"

Ivan stopped walking which made Lan Mei anxious. "S-should I pull out a map, da-ze?"

Ivan shook his head, "Nyet…." He looked up and inspected the night sky. "It's getting dark. Maybe we should turn back…," he muttered to himself. Lan Mei, however, was able to catch his words. "Ani… you carried me a long way. I won't let your efforts be wasted." Her words were overdramatic and Ivan couldn't help but awkwardly sweat at how this trip turned into a quest.

Lan Mei held her phone in front of him displaying a GPS map and she grinned, although he could not see. "Look, we only need a few more blocks and we're there da-ze."

Ivan cracked a smirk, "Da, hold on then. Okay, Lan?" It seemed they had to climb a hill (not strange in Japan…) and Ivan was determined to run up to waste less time.

Lan Mei gave a nod as she leaned her head comfortably against his back. "Ivan… you smell nice," she unconsciously stated out loud, catching the Russian by surprise. He began to stutter a thank you which caused the South Korean girl to laugh in response. As they continued to advance, Ivan and Lan Mei noticed weird stares they gathered. It was reasonable, seeing how the two were weirdly loitering around the area in search of the hospital. Apparently, Lan Mei was Ivan's personal navigator as she told him where to go while she remained on his back-just like the shell on a turtle's back...

Soon enough, after some turns and backtracking, the two managed to find the hospital. There, the two entered the building and quickly went to the receptionist desk. Timidly, Lan Mei peaked from behind Ivan's shoulder. "A-Anyo, I'm looking for a girl named Elizabeth Jane. She's supposed to be visiting a friend; I think his name is Arthur… K-Kirkland?"

The receptionist smiled weakly, slightly startled by the sudden sight of a short South Korean girl over a tall Russian boy's shoulder. "S-sure, let me take a look…"

The sound of typing was heard for a moment before the receptionist spoke up. "Ah, yes, Arthur Kirkland. He and his guest should be in room 204 on the second floor."

"Thank you," both teens said in unison before they left. They headed for the 2nd floor and, soon enough, the duo came across a certain energetic South Korean male. Said male was currently dancing to k-pop music while receiving weird stares by nurses. Some of them giggled while others stared impressed-which was rare...

Lan Mei studied the sight from over Ivan's head and felt the urge to smack her brother for being so disruptive at a hospital. "Oppah…what are you doing?" She knew the answer yet wanted to hear Yong Soo explain himself…

"O-oh?" It seemed he didn't quite process the current situation properly so Lan Mei waited a few seconds. After 3 seconds, he shot forward, stopping to eye the Russian supporting Lan Mei. "W-W-W-What are you doing to my sister, da-ze!? Only I can carry my sister! I-I-If you start carrying her t-t-then that means…" he trailed off, his face going pale. 'That means Lan Mei has a boyfriend…!'

"ANIIIIII!" he dramatically screamed as he fell to his knees. Ivan stared at Lan Mei's brother with confusion as he turned to Lan Mei with questioning eyes.

"S-Sorry…that's my Big bro…h-he can be very dramatic most of the time…"

Ivan could only nod as he was shocked to see the male behaving so childishly. "A-are you sure he's your older brother…?"

"D-Dae…," she sounded disappointed by this fact.

"I'm not going to accept this aigoo!" her older brother cried in agony.

"Oppah…?"

"I'm not letting you take my hwa! Not you! Not anyone! Aish!"

"Oppah!" Lan Mei flushed red. "What is he implying…?" Ivan muttered, feeling heat rise to his cheeks.

The South Korean male continued to rant in both Korean and Japanese (if you still don't know, the location of this story is in Japan…). There was use of English yet that wasn't really important; it was obvious that Yong Soo was being childish and overdramatic of the situation. He misinterpreted Ivan's help and turned it into a crime. "Y-Y-You…," he pointed frantically at Ivan's hands which was supporting Lan Mei's legs so she wouldn't slide and fall off his back, "W-watch where you're touching her! Aigoo, get your hands off! I said off, da-ze!"

Ivan cringed seeing his mistake yet couldn't let go since it would be sudden and rude.

"I-I can't help it…Lan Mei's brother—"

"His name is Yong Soo…" Lan Mei whispered with awkwardness. "—Yong Soo…," Ivan corrected himself. The name just didn't sound right on his mouth. Yong Soo cringed at the sound of his name being spoken by the Russian. "D-Don't use informalities with me! To me, you're a stranger! A mere stranger!" he emphasized the last part with hand gestures that made Lan Mei wonder if he was sane or not. Lan Mei sighed irritably towards her brother. "Oppah cut it out…" If he didn't, she was sure to get him later-once she found the strength to.

"But Lan, I won't let you have a boyfriend yet! I don't want you to leave a-and be like those girls who get drunk, do drugs, and become dropouts. All because they were chasing after a boy, da-ze."

Lan Mei was now bright red at his words. The fact that he came up with such a story was ridiculous but also… "Oppah! H-H-He's not my boyfriend-! Sure, h-he's a boy and he's my friend, b-but it's not like that!"

Ivan reached the very point where he was also extremely red. If anything, he was like the red coloration in a thermometer which slowly increased along with the temperature.

Certainly, Ivan was at the top for he was completely reddened and hot in the face.

"…N-Nyet, I'm only a friend…" he nervously breathed out. Lan Mei was slightly shocked by his out of breath answer, feeling as if he was going to collapse any moment. It also didn't help that she had her arms wrapped around his neck. "O-Oppah you see what you did!" Lan Mei angrily stated as she scowled the elder. Yong Soo pouted, "Aigoo, I'm only looking out for you~!"

"B-but you're embarrassing me and Ivan!" Lan Mei whined. Ivan on the other hand was still muttering statements of defense as he was thought over the indication of being Lan Mei's friend.

'I-I'm her friend…I'm not doing anything past that line right…?' He was obviously clueless with the idea of friendship-especially with someone very different from him… (his occupation…).

Lan Mei, at that point, realized that she was still on Ivan's back and for Yong Soo to stop his hostility towards Ivan, she concluded that she had to get off him. "I-Ivan, can you let me off…? M-my Oppah is being an idiot…"

Ivan nodded hesitantly and let her off. In mid-action, a door nearby opened and out came Xiang.

In an instant, Lan Mei fell back, dragging Ivan along with her to the ground. And since Yong Soo was near the two, he found himself crushed by the duo. Xiang stared at the chaos with slightly wide eyes. To think this sight could be found in a hospital. Xiang sighed walking over with a small hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Y-you…," Lan Mei muttered in anger. Xiang rolled his eyes as he said, "We went over this already…"

"Besides, as much as I love to see that things have gotten silent again, I do believe that it would be horrible for you to kill that idiot."

Immediately, Lan Mei snapped, "Don't call my brother an idiot!"

Yong Soo, who was faking unconsciousness for a moment, felt hope in this endless "hate" directed at him. Unfortunately, this hope was crushed when Lan Mei clarified, "Only I can call him an idiot…"

"Aigoo, you're cruel, Lan! What happened to your usual shy personality? Why is it that you're so cruel with me?!" he cried out.

She puffed her cheeks as she struggled to get up with the help of Ivan. "Oppah…not now," Lan Mei sighed. The South Korean girl was starting to get lightheaded from being irritated for a long time.

Yong Soo breathed an exasperated sigh as he began to stroll off. "Fine, I see how it is! I'm ruining this gathering, huh, da-ze? Too uncool for you guys~?!" He huffed off and Lan Mei giggled. "Oppah~ stop playing!"

The South Korean male cracked a small smile, "Aish, just talk, da-ze. I'm going to eat." He turned to Ivan, "Don't do anything to my little hwa."

Ivan indifferently smiled back as he thought, 'What just happened?' Yong Soo was finally gone from the area, leaving only three teens left.

Xiang motioned over to start walking. "Let's go before he comes back." He looked over his shoulder with stoic eyes. "I want to speak to both of you."

Lan Mei sighed as she followed weakly. Ivan followed along as well, slightly interested as to what may happen. Yet, in his interest, he was also worried. With Xiang, Ivan found himself left confused by his mysterious character. 'For once, I found someone even more secretive than myself.'

* * *

Outside got really dark. The time… it was somewhere around 10:00 PM. The trio stared down at one another: Lan Mei stared at Xiang, Xiang stared over at Ivan, and Ivan, in turn, stared at Xiang (yet stole glances at Lan Mei…). All was silent despite the breezy night.

"It's cold. Why don't you give Lan Mei your jacket?" Xiang stated with slight amusement in his monotonous voice. Ivan groaned in annoyance as he struggled to keep up his false smile. He was trying to suppress the urge to enter full battle with the Cantonese teen; all the while taking Lan Mei's safety into account. "Lan, stay behind me…," Lan Mei looked over slightly confused by his statement, "Ivan?"

"Stay behind me…" he lowered his head to a certain degree which hid his eyes from her. His stern voice sent chills down her spine so she hesitantly obeyed while she continued to glare daggers at Xiang. Xiang sighed, "both of you are boring me to death. Say something at the very least." He turned to Lan Mei, "Insult me if you wish, I'll accept your hate." He turned back to Ivan, a smirk forming, "…And if you wish, charge at me. I don't mind warming up in front of my target. I'm sure she'll enjoy the show."

"Xi—." Ivan started but was cut off by Lan Mei. She clenched her fist tightly and muttered through gritted teeth. "L-Leave him out of it!"

"…Are you trying to be intimidating? Ha, you're just a small kitten trying to act like a tiger."

Lan Mei stood quiet as she averted her eyes to the ground. She was too afraid to push the limit. "Don't be stiff, it's no fun," Xiang teased.

"Is this a game to you?" The Cantonese turned to look the Russian expecting something but to his disappointment the Russian was just standing still with Lan Mei standing close behind.

"More or less… I must admit that I'm in the process of gathering the pieces."

"Tch…" Ivan dropped the blank smile as he slowly pulled out an iron pipe from his black overcoat. Since when did he keep an iron pipe in his coat?!

"Since you're not speaking important words liberally I'll just have to beat it out of you!" He charged surprising Lan Mei extremely. At this point, this very moment he was lost in his rage, he didn't care whether Lan Mei saw or not. After all, Ivan was supposed to guard her from dangerous beings. Xiang being the most dangerous so far…

One swing…Two swings. Xiang dodged them all. Yet it was obvious Ivan had him backing up. Did that mean Xiang had no weapon? …Wrong.

Xiang drew out a gun startling Lan Mei extremely. "A-Ani!" She cried out as she moved forward but was pushed back by Ivan. Xiang played no attention as he shot at him. The Russian was blocking all the bullets with his steel pipe as he dodged some as well. Lan Mei stared in complete shock and awe at the event. 'H-how…? Is he-?' What shocked her mostly was that she could see the bullets and where they were coming from, what destination it was heading to, how close it was to hitting Ivan… was that even "normal"?

Lan Mei felt tears as she begged for the two to stop. Another bullet was shot… and again Ivan deflected it with a strong swing of his pipe clearly confident that Xiang wasted his last bullet, unfortunately that left him open now which allowed Xiang to shoot again. It seemed Xiang had one more left before reloading…

Lan Mei saw this and dashed in front of him. She didn't know yet it just happened. Ivan stared in shock as did Xiang. The South Korean girl who was extremely frightened stood in front of Ivan with arms spread in defense. The surprise was that she just stood there standing as if a bullet never was shot at her. She was completely unharmed.

Xiang weakly shrugged as he put back his gun. "Like I said, don't be so stiff. It's not fun that way."

Ivan broke into a glare, "I'll kill you…"

"I'd like to see you try," Xiang stated with stoic "pride" yet immediately found himself smacked by Lan Mei. "Tell us what you wanted to tell us, Pabo!"

Xiang gazed back with surprised eyes; the stinging sensation of the slap hurt. For a weak girl as herself to slap him; Xiang could only conclude that she was insane. "…you're really insane like your brother, huh? You don't even know what you're up against yet you clearly saw—."

"I'm unhurt… f-for some reason I'm unhurt and I think you know the reason as to why. S-so please…p-please!"

Xiang was silent for a moment. "Your friend could tell you…"

"Huh—?" She turned to Ivan with questioning eyes. Ivan kept his murderous gaze on Xiang. "Bastard…"

"Aren't I right, though? Seriously… it's such a liability for her to be ignorant. Just tell her already."

Ivan knew this yet he was extremely afraid of what she might say. Studying her carefully Ivan could see that Lan Mei would probably be so frighten of him that she would distance herself. Then what would he do?

He shook his head burying his face in his scarf. Lan Mei saw this, feeling a pained sensation in her chest. Just like earlier in the day with all the misunderstandings she had gone through. Lan Mei sighed, "I've had enough…"

"This is why you're boring." Xiang stated, "You give up too easily. Yet I can't blame you completely. You have no skills to acquire information and the people you know won't leave you hints."

"Hmm…I guess I'll tell you some answers. Go ahead, ask?" Lan Mei hesitantly looked over to Ivan, his face paler than his usual completion when Xiang spoke those words. "…Last time…you said you were trying to help me "awaken". What do you mean by that?"

"Its quite simple you see… You're like a bomb, and I'm being paid to light the bomb because of my boss's orders." He paused finding that explanation wrong for an ignorant girl such as Lan Mei, "No…that's not it. Hmm… well you see Im Lan Mei; you have a strange power that makes you inhumanly better than everyone. Consider yourself a god perhaps?"

"Stop joking around!"

"I'm not, you may think I am yet I'm seriously trying my best to explain it. Its quite difficult you see…"

"…She has the ability to move, react and learn quickly in a short amount of time when she needs to adapt unlike the average human." Ivan stated suddenly. "Better than your explanation correct?"

Xiang rolled her eyes as he began pacing around the silent space. "I suppose…though you do realize you'll have to tell her more about how you know this."

"…D-da…"

"…And you're fine with that?"

"Da…"

Xiang smirked. "Go ahead then, I'll give the spotlight to you. Just remember not to spoil everything. I don't want this tale to end so quickly when I haven't even started." His stoic face allowed a small sickening smile to form, "I really want to kill you~. Just looking at that smiling face makes me want to put bullets in your head," Ivan responded

"Heh, as if you could—."

"Are you going to tell me or not da-ze?" She was getting annoyed with Xiang.

Ivan sighed, softening his mood towards the South Korean teen. "Lan, when I tell you… You absolutely can't say anything to other people, got it?"

"D-Dae, of course. It's a secret," She smiled as she held out her pinky. For a moment the seriousness dulled and he chuckled bitter-sweetly and linked his pinky with hers.

'Well here goes nothing…'

"I'm supposed to guard you, Lan... I was paid to keep you safe even though I'm an assassin just like Xiang." Ivan breathed out nervously.

Lan Mei was silent for a while which made Ivan anxious. Yet surprisingly she flung herself around his waist. "Aigoo…Ivan is that all…?" She looked up with a grin as she started to giggle sweetly to herself. "W-wha-…? You're not mad, or scared?"

"I'm scared…"

"Oh…" Ivan was saddened by this.

"I'm afraid that you didn't tell me this. It's c-cool…!"

Ivan raised a brow as he felt a smile unconsciously form on his lips, "C-cool?"

"Dae~, like a main character in a manga."

Ivan chuckled patting her head softly. "Ufufu~ I-Is that so~?"

"Mhhmm," she buried her head in his chest. "Ivan…I was wondering though. When I jumped in front of you just now, how did you feel?"

"Scared and…," he was lost in thought now.

"Hmm…?"

It remained quiet now to which Lan Mei felt the need to prolong conversation so she turned her head towards Xiang to ask another question, "Xiang, I want to know—."

However, he was gone. Lan Mei and Ivan groaned in unison. Both teens obviously disliked Xiang yet they wished to further continue the conversation.

With a sigh the Korean reached out to check the time on her phone. "...It's 11:30!" Lan Mei panicked she tried to break into a run only to be pulled back by the Russian. Lan Mei looked up at him with questioning eyes. Ivan stared back with lost eyes. He didn't seem to be really focused now… 'Was that question still bothering him?'

Lan Mei clapped her hands together with a hesitant smile. "I-Iv—."

She couldn't even finish his name when he shockingly leaned in to kiss her. It was so unexpected and it made Lan Mei deeply confused.

Especially with such a day as this, so much happened that she couldn't remember fully without being lost in a trance.

Lan Mei just stood frozen as he brushed her lips gently. He pulled back and immediately he broke into a small smile, "…Lan about that that question…a-and about the whole day. Now that I think about it …I think I like you."

Lan Mei widened her eyes as she tried to process the words. It didn't seem to work… maybe or maybe not? She wasn't sure if she understood what the word **like** meant anymore especially when it concerned Ivan. She remembered back to a few minutes ago when he rejected the idea of liking her that way, now he bluntly told her he liked her?! She wasn't sure what was going on other than the fact that Ivan kissed her now... All she could do was squeak in surprise as she turned from pink to a tomato red. "E-EHHHHHHHH?!" She half screamed out in incomprehension.

'How am I going to explain this to everyone else!?' She was going to explode yet what made her literally die was that he did not only kiss her once, but he decided to kiss her again. 'What has gotten into him?!'

Ivan chuckled whilst he was studying her face, "I couldn't help myself. I thought of how Yao-Yao pissed me off earlier in the day~."

Lan Mei fell back, 'Katyusha was right!?'

The South Korean was hyperventilating now as she forced a smile, perspiration was clear on her face, basically a moment of drama for the teen. "I give up I'm going to find Yong Soo and Elizabeth so I can go home…"

'Maybe even get myself checked into a room in the hospital…'

"Ufufu~ but you can stay at my house~."

'Absolutely not!' She was starting to wonder how things changed so suddenly between the two… and certainly how her future would end up.

* * *

 **Hi, Fiore here~. Here's another chapter for you guys. Thanks to Remi I feel it has a better flow in the writing and grammar. Anyway, please fav, follow and/or review and thanks for reading~! It really means alot to me o3ob.**


	17. Chapter 17

Lan Mei yawned and stretched tirelessly finally happy to be back at her lovely home with her brother and stepsister. After what seemed like long days and nights living in a dorm with Mei she was finally back… For vacation, since at this time most students go back to visit their families this leaves the dorms open for renovations and when the students came back they have to quickly register to get the room they want as well as their roommate. If they weren't quick to register they would get paired up with anyone…

Yet Lan Mei wasn't going to get caught up in task like this, she was now in her room with no worries at all. Well except for one… one specific worry that kept Lan Mei up all night.

One worry that made said South Korean teen delete all the K-pop songs that talked about love and such on her phone, and oh god were there plenty.

Lan Mei groaned in annoyance as she slammed her head on her desk. Her face was completely flushed and all she could do was hope that it would go unnoticed. Well…that's until Elizabeth walked by, "Breakfast time~, Lan Mei. My Mum made pancakes."

Lan Mei smiled slightly at the mention of food yet still kept her head low, "U-um thanks. But I'm not in the mood da-ze…"

Elizabeth sighed as she studied the girl. "What seems to be the problem? You've been moody since yesterday night… and besides weren't you supposed to be staying at a friend's house?"

Lan Mei shot up at the mention of said "friend". The South Korean internally cried, 'I-I don't even know if we're considered friends anymore…!'

"Lan...?" Elizabeth cocked her head and smirked, "its that boy isn't it?"

Lan Mei raised her head with flushed cheeks. The cursed expression she was trying so desperately to hide from her teasing older sister. "Aigoo w-what are you talking about Elizabeth~.? W-what boy da-ze~?"

"Hehe aww! My little sister has a boyfriend!" She sang and hugged her little sister happily.

The South Korean teen struggled in her embrace to grasp for air as she seemed to be dragged away from her desk. 'Aigoo...' Lan Mei sobbed in her mind meanwhile in reality the girl went on the defense. "What boy~ I don't know what you're talking about aish." She forced a smile. Elizabeth released her and smirked, mimicking a perfect Russian accent, "the boy you stayed with last night...," her eyes widened at her own sentence and suddenly raged, "wait, you didn't do anything last night right?! If he touched you I'll kill him!" Lan Mei paled at her sister's protectiveness and frantically shook her head. "A-Ani...!" She flushed about what happened yesterday and dashed out the room, "Nothing happened, Unni~!"

"Get back here you git!" Elizabeth chased her around the house, "you need to eat something!"

"A-ani! I'm not hungry da-ze!" Lan Mei called out as she began to dodge the British teen attempts to catch her. However, seeing the South Korean was very clumsy she ended up tripping over her feet and landing on the ground.

"Hey you get back- wahh! Ack!" The Brit tripped on her own sister and groaned, huffing in anger, "you better eat...I'll go prepare your lunch...wanker ," she smiled softly and went back to the kitchen, "you will tell me all about him, ok? You love him after all hehehe~"

Lan Mei puffed her cheeks in embarrassment as she got up weakly. She had to admit that she was still weak from Xiang's injury towards her yet shrugged it off. 'I'll be sure to buy more pain killers,' Lan Mei thought yet she paled; her debt that she still slowly had to pay back. She almost forgot all about it. "Elizabeth, do you know where to find another job? The cafe owner is on vacation so he closed up. I'm apparently out of a job now..." Lan Mei felt sadden at this fact. She finally found a job that she was good at only to lose (temporarily). "Hmm...Let's see...oh there's the old man on the corner looking for someone to help sell fruits...," she prepared her lunch. Lan Mei thought about it before lying her head down on the table. "But... there's math da-ze." She sighed raising her head before Elizabeth scolded her. "...It's surprisingly quiet da-ze. Did umma and Yong Soo go out...?"

"Mhm mum and Yong Soo left to do some errands...and Lan, selling fruits means to stand there and have customers be interested" Lan Mei paled, "B-But they'll put me on the register I'm sure of it da-ze!" She sighed as she started tracing figures on the table with her finger. She was extremely bored...

"Ugh...you never asked you git...since you're so bored, go and find another job."

Lan Mei looked over to the door with a pout, "But I'm lazy..." Elizabeth sighed and chuckled, "how about we go out shopping? Just some sister-sister time," really all she wanted was to ask Lan Mei more about her "boyfriend". Lan Mei smiled at the idea, she wasn't really a shopping fanatic yet she did need a new pair of clothes since yesterday's incident at the dining room. "Sure~ that sounds like fun da-ze!" Elizabeth smiled and packed a nice picnic, "alright then, where shall we go? The same boutique we both love?" The South Korean gave a nod, "Wherever you want to go is fine with me."

"Haha come on little sis," Elizabeth took the basket and put Lan Mei's hat on her teasingly. The hat that Yao gave to her yet Lan Mei never said anything. "Then maybe we can get some ice cream on the way" Elizabeth smiled sweetly and headed out. Lan Mei giggled as she followed her sister out the door. "Oh, we should make sure to lock the door da-ze." She dug for her keys in her pocket and locked the door. "Ready to go, leader~!" She teased as she gave a small salute. The British teen laughed and started walking to the boutique, "so Lan...who is this Russian guy?" Lan Mei flushed, "A-Aigoo, you're still on this?" She was nervously fidgeting in her long lilac over-sized sleeves. (xD normal clothes) "U-unni you don't have to worry about it..."

"Oh come on sis...I'm really curious and it's not fair," she pouted, "you tease me about Arthur and I always make your lunch."

Lan Mei sighed smiling back weakly, "W-well..." She lowered her hat shyly to cover a fraction of her face. "Fine..." She looked around making sure there weren't a lot of people around. When she was satisfied with her surroundings she breathed an out a long breath. "His name is Ivan...Ivan Braginski."

"Ivan...," she chuckled softly. "That Russian boy in our global class? Hmm...interesting. How did you meet?"

"It was after school. When Gilbert stole my Umma's hairpin...," she sadly sighed. 'He's always bulling me...' she mutter in slight frustration. However she was thankful that he recently stopped thanks to Ivan.

"Ahh...," she growled slightly in anger, 'I'll make sure to curse him'

"...and?" Lan Mei's cheeks now rose in heat as she thought over her words. "W-well...he stopped Gilbert and returned the hairpin to me. He told me to wear it for now so it won't get lost..." She sunk down to the ground in a ball. "Aigoo, I'm so embarrassed da-ze! Wahh I want to hide!"

"Aww!" She giggled and patted her head, "oh Lan~. So, how do you feel about him?"

She fell back at the thought, "I-I don't know!" She frantically was going crazy now. 'H-he just kissed me...twice! And not once did he ask me-' She began to mutter nervously in Korean but soon realized her companion and quickly translated in Japanese, "W-when I'm with him I get all flustered and it's very hard to be myself..."

"Hmm... Seems like you like him back...ever worried about him?"

"D-Dae...," She nodded, "but I'm always worried about everyone..." She giggled silently, "Well everyone I'm familiar with..."

"Mmh... Did you ever…kiss him?" Elizabeth whispered softly. Lan Mei shot up almost immediately at the words from the Brit. She slowly turned her head to her despite being so stiff... "W-Why do you ask...?"

"Lan...I'm your sister! I know you very well...," she chuckled and patted her head. "What did you feel when he kissed you?" She froze, and her body began to soften. "…It was shocking...sort of like an electric feeling...?" she muttered in a low timid voice. She paused again. "My head felt light headed and I felt weird all over..." She flushed extremely, "I-I don't even know what I'm saying aigoo!" She ran off feeling extremely embarrassed for saying stuff like that especially in a public area. "Lan!" She followed and kept walking with her until they reached the boutique. "That means maybe you like him too...you can always say no...but you should listen to your heart, ok?" Lan Mei turned with a frown, "B-but I don't know what my heart is saying da-ze... all I know is...that I'm lost in a crossroad."

"You'll know when it's time, ok?" She smiled and showed her a cute dress. Lan Mei nodded hesitantly as she stared at the dress. Just like the Brit said it was very cute. Lan Mei stared with wonder in her eyes, "C-cute da-ze..." The British teen giggles and nods in approval. She grabbed the dress from the rack and handed it to her, "go try it on! I'll go find some matching shoes, ok?"

Lan Mei gave a nod and walked away with the dress in hand. As the British girl was busy with finding shoes Lan Mei found herself trying on the cute patterned dress. It was a delicate cream with light blue flowers. The ends were decorated with pretty black ruffles and on the bottom of the dress and shorts with white polka dots on it. It was really cute and could be worn anyway especially on warm days like spring and summer. Luckily the time of year was the spring. It was late May to be exact…

The South Korean exited the changing room shyly and to see Elizabeth with other clothes as well. 'I-Is she going to make me try on everything in the store…?!'

Elizabeth looked at her younger sister and smiled, "aww! Alright now try these other 15!" she practically threw the beautifully patterned dresses into Lan Mei's small arms.

Lan Mei paled at the amount of clothing her sister could find in such a short amount of time. Then again, she did have good eyes for fashion... Lan Mei smiled sheepishly and obeyed her.

Elizabeth found beautiful cream colored shoes with a cute bow "these look perfect"

Lan Mei nodded hesitantly as she eyed the clothes. "A-and we're going to buy all this...?!"

The Brit snatched the shoes and smiled, going back to her sister "done sis? Let me see!"

She exited the changing room as told flashing the cute clothing with a shy smile.

"Awwww!"She smiled and showed her the shoes, "last pair...hurry up and pick an outfit for your date with IVAN~," she winked and quickly ran out, trying to avoid the cute little fights her sister had.

The South Korean girl sent an alarmed look, showing confusion and shock at her words. Since when were they having a date?! Now that Lan Mei thought about he didn't really say, "I want to date you," No... he said that he "liked her". So technically they were still friends, right? Despite the relationship being so awkward now...

"E-Elizabeth...," Lan Mei started sheepishly. "...I-I don't think we're dating yet, nor do I think we might date..." Lan Mei sighed, 'I'm not really looking for a boyfriend yet...I just want to get by school, make a stable life and then...' She trailed off. Actually she didn't know what she wanted to do.

Elizabeth giggled softly and patted her head, "I'm just teasing...we need good clothes for the trip..."

The South Korean girl went wide eyed, "A-ah the trip, aigoo... I forgot to start saving up." Immediately she had Yao's debt come to mind. 'Because of my clumsiness I have to pay back Yao...' She dropped her head sadly, '...and I'm no where near close with paying him off.'

"Sis?" she fiddled with her fingers shyly. "I forgot to tell you that...the trip is to Seoul, Korea..."

"E-Eh...?" The South Korean was extremely flustered by the thought of going to Seoul. The city she and Yong Soo were born at. She softened at the thought, "You know...I wonder if fate is teasing me da-ze." She looked up at Elizabeth with a small smile, "M-maybe I'll find my mom da-ze." She giggled out nervously. "O-or maybe not...I don't even remember her face."

"Lan...," she sighed and hugged her sister, saddened as well; "the important thing is to remember how she was...her habits, her smell...little things are far more precious...like her pin." Her eyes watered slightly, knowing her pain.

Lan Mei nodded and smiled in reassurance, "D-Dae thank you Unni. You've always been so kind." She clapped her hands together in slight cheerfulness, "W-We should get going, dae? I'll get changed out of this so we can pay soon da-ze." She entered the changing rooms yet again for the final time. She exited again now in her original clothes.

Elizabeth chuckled and took the cream colored dress and shoes, paying for them, "thank you," she handed the bag to her sister.

Lan Mei smiled but before leaving something bothered her. She looked at the cashier for a moment before stepping slightly back in surprise. "Y-Yao...?" The Chinese male stared back with wide eyes, "L-Lan Mei...?" Lan Mei smiled blankly, "...Aren't you supposed to be at Ivan's finishing the visual part together...? F-furthermore you should be resting!" She stated with obvious concern. Yao sighed as he waved her off. "I'll go to his house later aru... I have to work for now." Lan Mei nodded hesitantly, "W-well it was nice seeing you..," Lan Mei looked over to Elizabeth in realization, "O-oh, this is my sister, Elizabeth. I- think you met her before, right...?" Yao smiled bowing slightly, "Nihao ma aru~."

"Oh ello," she smiled cheerfully and did a curtsy, "I believe we did meet..."

Yao nodded, "...I-I'm the one who monitors around the school aru." He chuckled out weakly, "I believe I delivered a stack of papers once...?" Lan Mei nodded, "D-dae~, I helped," she smirked. Yao chuckled as he flushed slightly. "I-I see you like the hat aru." Lan Mei nodded in realization that she still had it on, "D-dae...," she nervously smiled yet looked the other way. "W-well, we'll be leaving then. S-see you soon...?" Yao kept his smile, "Sure."

Elizabeth cocked her head observing their behavior and followed Lan, "farewell...ok...so you have feelings for him too?"

Lan Mei stared in shock at the elder, "W-wha? W-what gave you that idea...?"

"You didn't look him in the eye… your voice was soft and nervous...Lan come on! Where I come from Sherlock Holmes is practically famous!"

Lan Mei giggled weakly at her words as she averted her eyes, "N-not really, me and Yao are friends da-ze."

"Mhm... and I am a unicorn~," she retorted sarcastically, sighing and heading for the park, "come on, let's go eat...since SOMEONE didn't want to eat."

The South Korean giggled and bowed slightly, "Mianhae~ just don't waste too much money okay? Umma gets angry when you don't save~."

Elizabeth nodded and chuckled, "alright then...I highly doubt that ice cream is expensive."

"Depends how much of it you buy that is~" Lan Mei chimed with a smile.

She scoffed and ruffled her hair teasingly, "oh shush you git," she giggled.

The South Korean simply stared with a funny look as her hair was slightly standing up, "Oh how I wish to have straight hair da-ze~" Her hair was naturally curly yet wasn't severally curly so it was fine.

"Hmm…,"she smirked and pretended to lick her hand, then smoothed down her hair. "How about some gel then? Haha!"

Lan Mei puffed her cheeks in protest, "Aigoo, that'll ruin my hair even more da-ze~."

The British teen laughed and ran away, "you look fabulous!"

It seemed the two were now in a chase scene since they were chasing after each other. "Aigoo, w-wait up...!" Lan Mei laughed out. Suddenly she bumped into someone with a yelp.

Elizabeth giggled and stopped when she didn't hear her sister, "huh?..."

Lan Mei groaned as she got up weakly, "M-Mianhae...!" She breathed out with a bow. The person she collided with spoke in a low voice. "I-It's okay eh..." He got up with the help of Lan Mei and they stared at each other silently muttering "I'm sorry". "W-well I'll be going then." The Canadian looking male stated. Lan Mei waved shyly at him and looked over to Elizabeth, "Aigoo I'm such a klutz..."

Elizabeth sighed softly, "no no its ok...poor Matthew"

"M-Matthew...? Do you know him, Elizabeth?"

"Hm?...oh yea, he's very talented, he's in the music program plays guitar, violin, piano...he's nice," she smiled and kept walking. "poor thing...he's always so lonely"

Lan Mei held a sadden stare as she walked along with Elizabeth, "Aigoo, I feel so bad for bumping into him now..."

"No, don't worry," she smiled and spread a blanket. "He hangs out with me and Roderich...he comes out here for inspiration."

"Oh, really?" Lan Mei smiled. "That sounds nice."

"Mhm," she handed her, her favorite sandwich, as well as a juice box. " Hhm...I wonder if Matthew is also hiding from his brother..."

Lan Mei shot back in surprise at her statement, "H-Hiding...? F-from his brother?" For some reason Lan Mei couldn't but think of Ivan who similarly had sibling problems. Lan Mei also felt the same with Yong Soo at times. "I'll understand if his brother is too clingy like Yong Soo with me da-ze~."

"No, his brother is too much of a show off...kind of steals a lot of attention...ahh what was his name...Alfred I think?" Elizabeth munched on her sandwich.

Immediately Lan Mei felt familiarity in the name, "Alfred...? I think know him... I think he's a friend of Yong Soo's and Song Yi."

"Well him…," She shrugged. "Poor Matthew..."

Lan Mei sighed as she now began to eat her food quietly. After she was done she began humming, "Hmm, Elizabeth. I was just wondering but..." She trailed off in uncertainty."Hm?" She sipped her juice delicately, looking at her.

"You know… dreams?" Lan Mei paused giggling at the way she worded it, "Aigoo, of course you know what a dream is. U-um but have you ever had very scary dreams? About Umma?" She paused again, "You k-know, since Umma has a very dangerous job..." Elizabeth nearly choked on the juice and coughed softly. "Umm..." she looked down a bit frightened, which was rare, for Elizabeth never showed weakness in front of people, "...wh-why do you ask?" Lan Mei brought her knees close to her chest as she rested her head tiredly; a small smile on her face, "Lately I had this dream...and in it was my Umma. But I couldn't see her face." She shuttered for a moment, "a-and then I saw abeoji(father)... a-and many other people as well..." She raised her head, "So I was wondering, did you have dreams about your family? Scary dreams...about them…" She felt sad to bring this up yet it was really bothering her. "Y-Yong Soo told me to forget but this has been the 6th time..."

Elizabeth remained silent for a couple of minutes then slowly nodded, "...it's my 5th time...only…I see her face but frightened… I hear a voice that makes me feel like she's in danger..." Lan Mei gazed at her with saddened eyes, "T-then I shouldn't forget right...?"

"No, Lan...I think it's something important and we should never forget it." Lan Mei nodded, "I-I see...," She was now quiet for the remainder of the time until she spoke up, "M-mianhae, for making things so serious all of a sudden. It was bothering me greatly yet due to some events I had to forget about it for a moment..." She flushed remembering Ivan yet again. Elizabeth looked at her and chuckled, seeing her red face, "who are you thinking of? ...Yao or Ivan?" Lan Mei turned her head away in embarrassment, "A-aigoo! Shushh Unni!"

"Haha!" She ruffled her hair. "I bet it was Ivan~!" Lan Mei eyed her with a pout as she muttered, "W-what makes you so sure da-ze..."

"I was right?" She looked at her surprised and giggled, "it's that little sparkle in your eye."

Lan Mei remained silent as she seemed to increase in redness.

The Brit giggled and poked the South Korean's nose, "aww...swooning over the handsome Ivan?"

"Aigoo, unni y-you're teasing me too much!"

"Haha!" They ended up in a tickle fight, "oooohh Ivan and Lan Mei sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G" Lan Mei wriggled away as she felt herself laugh uncontrollably, "S-stop!" They were attracting weird stares due to Lan Mei's laughter. But in all honesty she didn't care. It had been a long time since she and her older sister had hung out like this. For a moment it felt like the old days when they were children.

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 **Hi, Fiore here~. Again, another late upload. I honestly can't stop apologizing how late this is. Just so you guys know, the different languages used in any chapters are from google translate so think anything else from it (only knows English and some Spanish). Anyway, please fav, follow and/or review and thanks for reading~! It really means alot to me.**


	18. Chapter 18

The winter vacation/break went by so fast for the South Korean teen. One day she ended up having her first kiss stolen by Ivan and then the next having Elizabeth and Yong Soo question her for the whole break. Not once did her thoughts about her first kiss being stolen have left her but now...

Lan Mei had to deal with school. Which meant teasings by a certain East German, projects and tests; and the drama of her friends. Specifically Ivan...

In addition to that it seemed a lot of other things were needed to be dealt with. Especially school...She couldn't stress it enough. Yet at the very least she finished one task; her room registration. Now she was now currently heading to her dorm. Surprisingly she was lucky to get a dorm again.

The South Korean girl gave several knocks yet found no answer. "Maybe my roommate didn't arrive yet...?" She asked aloud to herself. 'well might as well get inside and settle down,' Lan Mei sighed and opened the door with her key all while carrying several boxes filled with her personal items.

In an instant she heard the sound of water... 'oh...she's taking a shower.'

The South Korean sighed closing the door behind her and immediately setting her bags near her bed. With obvious exhaustion Lan Mei closed her eyes allowing herself to take a small break. 'The break wasn't as long as I thought...and it seemed that Elizabeth's mother was working again...' she raised her hand to her aching forehead, "how long...must she continue working such a dangerous job..." After ranting about such things in her life it was about time Lan Mei got up from her "nap"...She wanted to meet her new roommate to distract her from her worries.

She went to knock on the bathroom door yet but jumped in surprise when her eyes meet a familiar violet color as it opened.

"...Privet~," the Russian managed to say as he seemed to be studying her.

"...Lan, your hairpin...?"

Lan Mei weakly smiled as she nervously dug through her bag. "H-here...!"She started as she stared back with slight confusion.

Ivan realized what she was thinking and immediately chuckled. "You're surprised to see me here, da~?" Lan Mei gave a quick nod. "Remember my job...?" Immediately the South Korean understood, "I-I see... s-so you're...?"

"Da, from now on we are roommates~."

Lan Mei stared in complete shock as it seemed that she would collapse.

"Y-you...! H-how...?" She frantically asked with flushed cheeks. The Russian looked over with slight sadness in his eyes, "...are you mad at me, Lan?"

Lan Mei immediately shook her head in disagreement. "I'm not mad...! J-just surprised da-ze..."

It was silent now which somewhat bothered both of them yet they could think of nothing to interact again. Well, until Ivan went to get a letter.

"Here...maybe this might clarify things...?"

Lan Mei took the letter with obvious hesitation.

She opened it and immediately read the contents.

Dear Im Lan Mei,

As you can see, Ivan Braginski will be your new roommate. We're sure you're confused but there is a reasonable explanation. You see, all the dormitories in the boy's building are completely full now so we had no choice but to place him in the girl's dormitory. And seeing as we had to, we thought it best to place him with you since you're one of the finest and responsible students at the academy. So please take care and get along with Mr. Braginski.

Sincerely,

The administration'

Lan Mei studied the paper in deadpan expression. "Seriously...? Since when..."

"Since I hacked the schools recording," Ivan stated in blunt cheer. The way he said made Lan Mei pale. All she could think about was how the school would even allow this.

"A-aish... what are we going to do da-ze...? How can I get by..."

Ivan cocked his head in puzzlement, "ufufu~ what do you mean?"

The South Korean teen felt a wave of worry wash over her. "M-my sister... She has a habit of—."

There was a knock at the door. 'Aigoo...!' Immediately the short teen jumped to her feet yet froze when she saw that Ivan was sitting on her bed and...

Just when she thought she had lost the color in her face and she gained it yet again. "W-why are y-y-you shirtless da-ze?!"

Ivan chuckled weakly as he seemed to forget his shirt in his bag.

Lan Mei puffed her cheeks as the door again echoed a knock. "I-In a minute...!"

Lan Mei quickly pressed her herself against him trying to shove him forward yet the male stood still. "W-what's wrong...?"

"My sister...!" the South Korean cried as she desperately tried to hide him. "If she sees you then..."

"Then...?"

"She is very strict...!"

The Russian chuckled as he gave a pat on the girl's head, "ah, I see. Da, I'll go hide if you want."

Lan Mei sighed, "Yahhh hurry up! ...Everything has been getting complicated lately..."

She dashed forward to the door and immediately found herself stare at a set of eyes.

It seemed that Elizabeth brought Mei and Wei Xiang along...

"Im Lan Mei...!" Mei called.

'Oh no...She used my whole name...did I do something wrong?'

Lan was about to ask yet immediately found herself in a tight hug, "Aiya! Why didn't you tell me that you had a boyfriend?"

"Eh...?" Lan Mei stared back.

"—Ehhhhhhhhh?!" The South Korean was now bright red. "B-b-boyfriend? What do y-you mean?"

Mei held a trading smirk as she looked over to Elizabeth and Wei Xiang who seemed to be giggling to themselves.

"Unni...you didn't..."

"Oh, yes I did~!"

"B-but I don't have a boyfriend!"

"Hmm, that didn't seem to be the case when he said you were cute over the phone," she gave a wink as she poked the girl jokingly.

Lan Mei was bright red at the moment. She frantically argued with the group. Explaining, frantically arguing back; a decent amount of time seemed to be spent until finally they left the girl. The South Korean breathed a sigh as she leaned tirelessly against the door.

"A-aigoo...Ivan you can come out."

It was silent which worried Lan Mei. "Ivan?" She knocked on the door a few times until the Russian finally exited...

He darted his eyes nervously as he seemed to hide his face. Lan Mei worriedly pried his hand away from his face. "Ivan...?"

The Russian stared back in silence as he seemed to suppress a blush.

"U-um...?"

"Lan...," he started. Lan Mei gave her full attention.

"Do you...?"

"Do I...?"

"Do you want to...?"

Lan Mei giggled, "Do I want to...? What is it Ivan?"

"Do you want to…," the Russian started again. "Nevermind…"

Lan Mei blinked slightly, "E-Eh…? Come on, y-you can't just…!" She followed him like a curious child. A small smile plastered on her face, "Tell me da-ze~."

"N-Nyet…," he averted his eyes as he continued to walk away. "It's too embarrassing…"

"B-but…!" Lan Mei was extremely curious and seeing how she wasn't going to let this go Ivan had to think of something to cover up his original question.

"C-come on Ivan… "Do you want to?" Please ask me your question da-ze." She placed her hands together in a begging pose, "Please~."

Ivan chuckled and gave into her pleas, "Fine…," He turned his head shyly, "Do you want to…um go on missions with me….?"

'Please….believe my lie, Lan,' The Russian hoped as he sunk his face into his scarf.

However, Lan Mei was silent for a moment. A small smile still on her face, and she tugged his scarf excitingly, "Aigoo, that's the embarrassing question?" She was acting as if she completely had forgotten of the kiss they shared …

"I-Is it possible that I can…? S-since you said you had to guard me…so wouldn't I be in danger if I went…?"

Ivan forgot about that fact, yet kept his cool. "Da….you would yet…"

"I'll protect you. As long as you stick close to me I'll make sure to protect you from everything." Lan Mei blushed as his words and immediately turned her head. "A-aish… l-look at the time it's 4:00…! I-I should really be studying or something right…"

"But… it's not so late—."

"O-Oh, look at that! I haven't started on my list of manga and manhwa to finish! L-Let me just unpack and—."

The Russian took her small hand in his large one causing her to remain dead silent.

"…I'll help you."

If Lan Mei wasn't so flustered she could have sworn there was steam escaping her ears like a hot teakettle.

'These last years at W. Academy might be my last…' The South Korean internally cried as both she and the Russian seemed to be helping each other unpack. And this school year was about to end. Leaving two more years left before she graduated… Well that's if she can keep up in her studies.

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 **Too make it up for such a long time of not uploading here are some more chapters~. -Fiore**


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